[Dixielandjazz] Are charts good for audiences? (Was Dixieland)

[Mike Marois]

Hey All;

I'd have to say in the Dixieland Jazz Genre there's no place for charts
at a live performance.  The last thing a footstomper wants to see is a
group of guys up on a stage reading charts on stage.  The Original Dukes
of Dixieland didn't use music up on the stage.  The charts were used and
learned in rehearsals not performances.  I was just watching some Ed
Sullivan clips and the Dukes were actually choreographed.  It wasn't
obvious, but the movements and the hitting of predetermined marks made
the segments interesting.  From my personal experiences, I find it
beneficial to learn the music before the performances freeing me up to
have fun on stage while performing.  I find getting the audience
involved by getting them to clap in rhythm under a front line chorus
sans the rhythm section is a nice touch. I couldn't imagine pulling that
off if my head was buried in music.  With my group, the REAL Dukes, I
send CD's of the Original Dukes material and we jot down road maps of
the tunes.  We also rehearse before the gig.

Mike Marois
http://www.theREALDukes.com
http://www.TheDukesofDixieland.com
http://www.HireLiveMusic.com
http://www.TubaDude.com


-----Original Message-----
From: dixielandjazz-bounces at ml.islandnet.com
[mailto:dixielandjazz-bounces at ml.islandnet.com] On Behalf Of Snogpitch
Sent: Saturday, September 04, 2004 9:07 PM
To: dixielandjazz at ml.islandnet.com
Subject: Re: [Dixielandjazz] Are charts good for audiences? (Was
Dixieland)


As a fan of RocknRoll music, I've been to many concerts by Joan Jett and
the Blackhearts.  Occasionally she will introduce "new" songs just
penned or freshly created for her latest CD.  She can be uncertain with
the lyrics/chord changes 100%, so she has a stage hand bring a clipboard
from off stage and place it at one of the monitor speakers at her feet.
Being front row, I can tell when she actually looks at the sheet, which
is probably less than a 1/4 of the entire tune.  After the tune is over,
the stage hand quickly pulls the clipboard back offstage.

For those of us who are her groupies, we may not know the entire new
song either.  Making sure she is getting the song right, for us, is
important. Even a song she has performed probably over a million times,
she forgets where she is.  She even commented on that in one of her
interviews, saying that she was watching one of her audience members,
and that person started singing along, but with the wrong verse.  In
turn, Joan forgets where she was in the tune, and sings along with the
wrong verse as well...talk about audience focus!  I have witnessed how
she follows the audience singing first hand as she watched my singing
the harmonizing lyrics to her main lyrics. After the refrain was over,
she smiled at me, as if knowing, man he really likes those other lyrics.
Of course being front row does help with that experience at a rock show.

I know, it's not exactly jazz related, but it is audience related.  And
regardless of the stylings of music, the audience should connect with
the artist, and vice-versa.


On 9/3/04 5:40 PM, "TCASHWIGG at aol.com" <TCASHWIGG at aol.com> wrote:
> 
> Imagine paying and going to see Barbara Striesand or Tony Bennett, or 
> Frank Sinatra walk out on the stage with a lyric sheet in their hand 
> or worse yet on a music stand in front of their face blocking the 
> great element of a singer's ability to sell a song to an audience, 
> their facial expressions.
> 
> I have always preferred to see and hear a group that had committed the

> song to memory and could improvise it and make it different every time

> they played it.  This keeps the music interesting and no predictable 
> to the musician and the audience and fosters greater spontaneity and 
> interaction which usually produces more enjoyable events for all.
> 
> Cheers,
> 
> Tom Wiggins
> _______________________________________________


-- 
Snogpitch

snogpitch at prodigy.net
ICQ: 4989342
Webpage: http://pages.prodigy.net/snogpitch/


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