[Dixielandjazz] FF+2 Is faster Better?

[LARRY'S Signs and Large Format Printing]

There are some people who get off on fast.  There is a guy here that is an incredible musical gymnast.  After he plays a solo you wonder what just went by. I admire his skill but don't care for his interpretation very often.   Going faster to get nowhere is still nowhere.  It's like drummers who beat the drums as vs. someone who plays the drums.  You always know what a player is doing but someone who is beating the instrument leaves a lot to be desired.

I tell my students to keep it simple stupid (KISS).  Do what you can do well and don't try to impress the next guy.  Experimentation and trying things is essential to learning but when you hear someone exceeding their speed limit on a constant basis it's not to anyone's advantage.  There is always someone better or faster than you and an old adage "don't play the other guys game" applies here.  When I play a gig with the above guy and he is going nuts and I am trading 4's or following his solo I usually refuse the gambit and contrast with him rather than trying the same style or patterns. 

It bothers me when a good musician will try a bunch of stuff that they can't pull off because they are trying to keep up with me or someone else.  I know I used to do it and it ties you up in knots where you can't do as good a job.  It's a learning process.  You have to have confidence that you play well, your solos are good and that you have something to offer.  Then you will enjoy it more and do a better job.  Too many guys think that solo's are a contest.

Speed is OK if people aren't dancing which is often the case with traditional jazz but if people are dancing then 120 bpm is almost a standard.  If you go much faster than this then you convert a dance into a concert.  Don't get me wrong speed has it's place but it shouldn't necessarily be the goal.  As long as a solo is fun, goes somewhere and the audience likes it then it's a success.

A lot of musicians ( especially young ones ) don't like slower music because you have to do those silly things like phrase, have good tone, have good playing habits,  and interpret the music.

I think you can tell how good a musician is at sex by the way he plays solos.  Some fizzle out too quickly, some do it in a jerk, some are entirely too fast, some can't find the groove and some just plain suck.  Then there are those that take a little time and really enjoy it.

Cheers