[Dixielandjazz] Uniforms

[Stephen Barbone]

> From: "James Kashishian" <kash at ran.es>
> Steve wrote:
> Drove up to the Big Apple the other night to see Herbie Hancock, Wayne
> Shorter, Dave Holland and Brian Blade perform at the JVC Jazz Festival,
> in Carnegie Hall.  Each was neatly dressed in casual street clothes. Each
> had different color pants, different color shirts, open neck etc. But nobody
> in the
> audience had any doubt they were a jazz band. ;-)
>
> And, I'll add my two-bits:
>
> Steve, ya can't compare the really famous to the normal person in the
> street.  If you're Herbie, you can dress whatever way you wish.  That's one
> of the goodies you get from fame.  If you're an everyday guy/gal band, then
> a uniform might be just the thing to set you apart.
>
> We have some great vests we use for private parties, weddings, etc. (Got 'em
> free from a Whisky company, and removed their labels!!)  Each member wears a
> suit, or sport coat, to his liking for big concerts, and clubs are do it as
> you please.  I, personally, dress for a gig, not come along in the shirt &
> pants I've been wearing all day.  Bet your famous guys mentioned above
> weren't wearing wrinkled, dirty items!  The situation is "to get dressed"
> for the gig.
>
> Anyway, it's a personal thing for each band, and I don't believe anyone can
> dictate how it "should be".

Jim and List mates:

I agree completely. Do your own thing. For us, NEAT casual clothes work fine. We kind of look like aging preppies.

Also, once we got "known" in our area it was very easy to eschew uniforms. Nobody here questions whether or not we are a band, and nobody questions our style, or lack of it. Perhaps our musical self confidence results in the ability to dress as we please. We do not perceive ourselves as the normal man in the street kind of band.  Nor does our audience. :-) VBG.

On the other hand, I did do a "uniform" gig the other night as a sideman. It was a favor for a tubist friend who needed a lead horn for a Dixieland trio??????? Clarinet, Tuba & Banjo. Black pants, white shirt, black suspenders, long red tie and a boater if you had one. I don't have one so I went hatless. Still looked like a waiter. ;-)

Interesting to play polyphonic "dixieland" with yourself. ;-) VBG.

Wouldn't have done it for anyone else but a friend.

Cheers,
Steve Barbone

PS, Doing a July 4th gig before 20,000 to 30,000 people in Wilmington Delaware and we'll be in our normal clothes. The Cultural Affairs Department in the Mayor's Office of that city (which hires us) has seen us many times and they have absolutely no regrets that we are not in uniforms. I would guess that more people in Wilmington know who we are than know who Herbie Hancock is, given
our many performances there, including 3 recent Clifford Brown Jazz Festivals. Our style of OKOM truly lives in our territory.