[Dixielandjazz] Re: The "PRESENTATION" of Jazz

[Bill Haesler]

Dear Pat (and a reply for Dan),
Regarding: >The brass players need to rest their chops????  Poor Baby!  The
brass players get a lot of 'rest' while all the other players are taking their
solos.  The rhythm section never stops.<
Well said. I would not be so polite!
I have always objected to the myth, perpetuated by frontline musicians, that
they have to rest their chops.
If they are that bad they should practice more, or not be there!
If drinks are permitted on the stand they also get to quench their thirst during
their 'little rests'.
The rhythm section rarely has time for a drink during the bracket, as we are
turning up the next tune.
Our band works mainly in pubs so, apart from our chick singer introducing us,
and saying goodbye on our behalf, we rarely announce tunes. If someone is
interested enough, they ask.
Our sets are usually 8 tunes long (40 mins approx) and always include requests.
For concerts we give a brief song rundown, enough to allow the band time to
prepare for the next tune.
And we NEVER tell jokes (dirty or otherwise) from the stage. In spite of what
some musicians think, that is best left to professional comedians.
It is always my aim (though not always possible to achieve, particularly with
deps) to eliminate chatting about chords, keys, etc, between numbers. We try to
have the tunes sorted out before we start.
Kind regards,
Bill.