[Dixielandjazz] Band etiquette during solos

[Rob McCallum]

Dan and Listmates,

I couldn't agree more.  I also find it irritating and unprofessional when
band members talk and meander about when a soloist is playing.  IMHO, if the
band is playing, then everyone has to be focused on the music (or, at worst,
appear to be).  Imagine going to see a symphony concert and seeing the
trombone section talking and wandering about while they're waiting through
their million bars of rests.  It would be ridiculous.  Same should hold true
for any musical group jazz or otherwise.  I used to play with a tenor player
who used to talk constantly when he wasn't playing.  He's a helluva nice guy
and I don't think he was aware how distracting it was, if not to the
audience, then to the player who was taking a solo.  If I'm not playing, I
always move to the side and listen.  It also lends a cohesive quality to the
band i.e. even if it's one guy taking a solo, the entire band is still there
body and soul.

All the best,
Rob McCallum


----- Original Message -----
From: Dan Augustine <ds.augustine@mail.utexas.edu>
To: Dixieland Jazz Mailing List <dixielandjazz@ml.islandnet.com>
Sent: Tuesday, July 23, 2002 3:07 PM
Subject: [Dixielandjazz] Band etiquette during solos


> Folks--
>     Several posts about bass solos reminded me (unpleasantly) of behavior
i've occasionally seen during solos, especially (for some reason) bass/tuba
solos. The people in the band who are not playing sometimes seem to walk
around, talk to each other (sometimes loudly enough for the audience to
hear), joke, and generally behave as if nothing's going on.  They're just
waiting to play again, and are bored.
>     I think this is pretty bad and unprofessional behavior.  The shining
example of how to do it correctly (to my mind) is the way the Jim Cullum
band does it: stand and listen respectfully to the soloist.  Sometimes
they'll leave the stage, but even then they'll face the person taking the
solo and appear to listen.  I've seen a number of otherwise pretty good
bands (sometimes even nationally known players) act as if nobody's playing,
and this diminishes them in my eyes.  Maybe they don't know they're doing
it, maybe nobody's told them what to do and not do.  Ain't no excuse.
>     End of rant.
>
> Dan
>
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