[Dixielandjazz] Sitting In Redux

[Stephen Barbone]

Loved the posts by Kash and Rob McCallum. Agree wholeheartedly. Sitting
in is an invitational situation. If you are not asked, don't.

Re 2 or 3 numbers to warm up. Barbone Street plays at least 30 gigs a
year which are on set affairs, 45 minutes to an hour at most. We don't
have time to warm up and must always come out smoking, Typical set would
be an up tempo first tune, say "Shine", then a medium tempo bounce like
"Honeysuckle Rose" then a slow ballad type or Blues like :"Black & Blue"
or "Wonderful World". Then a balls out "Tiger Rag" or "That's A Plenty"
etc. Then we repeat the medium tempo, slow tempo and finish with our
trademark up tempo "Sweet Georgia Brown". Like Wiggins said (I think)
Make sure the first and last tunes are great, and get the middle one
too. Then the audience will remember them and perceive your band as
great.

If a musician is not up to playing 100% right out of the box, then that
musician needs to work on the horn until he/she can do it.
Suggest open mike sessions, rehearsals, woodshedding etc. And, the work
should be in all the usual keys. (F, G, Eb, Ab, Bb, C, Db and the usual
minors). The goal is any song in any of these keys. Then, if you work
with guitar groups, work with the unusual sharp keys that they like. And
don't always play "Indiana" in F, do it in G too etc.

Once you master that, fall by and sit in for a number, (if you are
asked).

Cheers,
Steve Barbone