[Dixielandjazz] Leaders and instructions

[TCASHWIGG at aol.com]

In a message dated 9/11/04 5:27:40 PM Pacific Daylight Time, 
ds.augustine at mail.utexas.edu writes:

> 
> DJML--
>    If as seems the case a leader has the right (and the duty) to 
> tell the drummer what kind of stuff to play,

does he also have the > right to tell the clarinet and all the other players 
> what to play? 

In the ideal band situation, which is a very difficult if not often 
impossible situation to acheive, the players all listen to each other and you don't 
have to tell them what or how to play.   Almost impossible to maintain however 
without rehearsals and or many years of playing together and knowing what to 
expect form the other players.

If the band is using charts and the leader wrote them, absolutely he has the 
right to ask them to play it as written.

If you are playing in a band that is trying to sound exactly like the Hot 
Five or Seven, or Bolden, or Turk, Watters,  or whomever then of course you can 
ask the sidemen to strive for that sound, but in that situation you are not 
seeking a voice of your own or trying to project your own style or anything new 
into the music.


> Does he tell the clarinet player not to play in the low register, or what? 

I have known a few you certainly could not tell that to more than once, :))

 What kind of instructions does he have?
> 
>    Do some leaders (as i suspect Turk Murphy was) want a very 
> specific kind of sound from each instrument, even to the extent 
> sometimes of not including an instrument in the band (Turk sometimes 
> didn't use drums, which at the time he felt had a 'dead' sound)? 

Sure they do and it can vary greatly from song to song if the leader is 
running a versatile group covering several genres of music styles, or if he just 
wants to give a song a specific effect for change and asks the drummer to sit 
out a tune.

Some band leaders I have known left the drummer out because he did not have 
his own car and nobody else wanted to pick him up and haul his gear to the gig 
and back home again. 
Same thing for the Double Bass on occasion.   :)


> What kind of instructions might be given to the tuba (i have a 
> special but forgivable curiosity about this)(like, only play ON the 
> beat, no fills or runs, no high notes)?

Well, in My band I usually am yelling at him to play louder so we can hear 
him, seems most tuba players I have met around here anyway seem to be very shy 
about being heard and that is a very annoying thing in a band like mine that 
marches and strolls and plays a lot of outdoor gigs with no amplification.  
Since we use a heavy rhythm section for bottom end, (four drummers Tuba and Bari 
Sax), the tuba needs to work with the Bass drummer to keep kicking the band on 
the uptempo Second Line stuff which is the heartbeat of the band and the 
music.  I like to feel the Tuba as the heartbeat.

  Does too much of this cause > excessive band-member turnover?

Depends upon the maturity of the players and their individual expertise in 
working as a unit and being able to communicate with each other musically and 
personally without letting egos get in the way of making good solid music 
presentations.  A sometimes difficult task indeed if some guys take it personally 
when asked to do or at least try something different. The more folks in the band 
the harder this job is for the leader and the more flak he or she is prone to 
get.  Unless of course you are a "One Man Band" but even that can present 
problems if you are schizophrenic. :)

A good leader is one who tries to make sure everyone in the band gets an 
opportunity to play and be spotlighted and made to feel like they are an important 
member of the band for the overall quality of the musical presentation.  If 
the leader is one who insists upon having all the solos and being the STAR on 
every song then the band will usually have a higher turnover rate of players 
than normal.  Musicians get very bored very quickly sometimes even in the best 
bands.

Many sidemen who think that being the leader is just getting a gig and making 
extra bucks for the gig is unfortunately sadly mistaken, it is usually a very 
difficult and often thankless job except for the occasional  pay day after a 
really good gig.  :)


If you are a Solo pianist ignore this unless of course you have an on going 
argument with your drum machine sideman or string synth module.  :)

Cheers,

Tom Wiggins