[Dixielandjazz] Son of rant on the unamplified rhythm section

[Edgerton, Paul A]

Jim Beebe takes issue with some of my assertions:

> A lot of great bass players are going to be surprised to learn that 
> their tone quality and attack has been ruined from using an amp and
> pickup.

Many bassists have no idea of what their bass actually sounds like--and how
could they? Recalling my college physics, the wavelength of the low E string
is roughly 26 feet. It takes a fair amount of space for the sound to
propagate. The resonances in a room greatly affect the bass.

Furthermore, an acoustic bass is a very complex collection of radiators and
resonators. Sound emanates from all the surfaces, different frequency ranges
from each part. These sounds eventually merge to form the sound we recognize
as an acoustic bass. It's also what makes the bass a tricky instrument to
record faithfully. One pickup (in the bridge!) is a very small sampling of
what is actually coming from a bass.

Some of bassists have gone to great lengths to get a "modern" bass sound, or
to facilitate soloistic playing. These players actually don't want the
acoustic sound of the instrument, they want something that sounds more like
records. They have a different set of goals.

Even a very small amplifier can throw out a great deal of sound, most of
which the player himself doesn't hear. Perhaps Gordon of Northridge will
share some of his experiences in this regard.

> It is one thing to have all-natural-holistic-unamplified jazz if you
> are playing in a nice hall with resonant accoustics. But the reality
> is that most jazz is played in clubs with lousy accoustics. Customers
> and musicians have an annoying attitude of wanting to hear what is
> going on. Hence some amplification is necessary.

Let's distinguish between amplification and reinforcement. Take the case of
an amplified guitar. It sounds completely different from an acoustic guitar
because the pickups and amplifier are themselves part of the sound-producing
apparatus. The amplified guitar has different characteristics from an
acoustic guitar, and even a different playing technique. The same thing
applies to the bass. An amplified bass is a different animal than an
acoustic bass. (Am I right Don?)

The goal of reinforcement, on the other hand, is not to alter the sound, but
to spread it around a larger area, possibly making louder as well. The band
should already be able to play in proper balance, and the soundman's job is
to capture that sound and project it to the huge audience assembled, ideally
without interfering with the bands ability to produce music.

> Kenny Davern made himself persona non-grata when he insisted that the
> Chicago group that had been assembled for him at an Illiana Jazz club
> concert, play unamplified. This was not an intimate room but a big 
> hall with a large crowd. Nobody could hear the group and they were 
> not pleased.

Jim, as a musician yourself you know what happens when you stand in front of
a rhythm section that's running amps loud enough to be heard by everyone in
a large room. You can't hear yourself and so YOU PLAY LOUDER. You might ask
for a monitor, but what you hear from that monitor won't be even an
approximation of what the band by itself sounds like.

I don't know Kenny Davern personally (he IS an idol of mine) but I'd be
willing to bet green American dollars that he wants nothing to do with the
situation I've just described. Kenny plays very sophisticated acoustic jazz,
full of dynamics and subtleties. Not to put words into the mouth of a
master, I daresay his attitude boils down to this: "If they want to hear us,
let them come closer."

What's needed in this situation is a proper sound reinforcement system that
allows the musicians to play acoustically if that is their wish, and project
the sound at a realistic volume to the rest of the house. The ironic thing
is, that gets harder and harder to do as the stage volume goes up. (Am I
right Gordon?)

> Everything is subject to adjustment and this includes musical 
> performance.

I agree. But I'll let you be the one to tell Kenny he's playing too softly.
Or that his accompanist insists on using an amplifier.

Paul Edgerton, who is ready to rumble!