[Dixielandjazz] Uniforms - Public Perception

[tcashwigg at aol.com]

  >about the general public perceiving "Dixieland" as older, white 
musicians,
 >dressed in old time outfits, playing yesterday's corny music.

 Larry writes

 > Guilty although I don't think it's corny. I took in the Preservation
 > hall band in New Orleans several years ago and it wasn't corny at all
 > just badly performed by guys that were way over the hill. Not that I
  > have any objection to that actually but not in a venue that's 
supposed
 > to be a showcase . The group that day sounded like a green sheet job
 > to benefit retirees. There is one band around here that is really bad
 > also but they seem to work a lot.


 Steve says in his reply:
  Those are black guys, the originators of jazz and they are playing in 
the
  ORIGINAL STYLE. You miss the raison d'etre of Preservation Hall. THIS 
IS THE
  MUSIC THAT STARTED IT ALL. FOLK MUSIC Dixieland. If the rest of us 
wanted to
  copy the music from the very beginning, this is exactly what we should 
sound
  like. Who are we to question that? It is period music and it is hip in 
the
 genre of period music. They are PRESERVING IT, not innovating it.


 Now here I find myself in disagreement with my buddy Steve:

  Having been there and seen and heard that same situation that Larry 
speaks of and knowing personally some of the Current past Preservation 
Hall players, that occupy the seats in the band when they don't have a 
better gig to do.

  we need to look beyond the Preservation Hall Title and Myth of the 
building, and understand that it and the Preservation Hall Foundation 
itself is another Non Profit well intentioned once upon a time effort 
by a ( White Jewish I believe ) and nothing wrong with that either, so 
don't get on any Anti Semitic case with me here folks. ) to try and 
preserve the institutions and the music. Who the Hell ever said they 
did or knew how to do it correctly either. But why the Hell kill a 
Golden Goose if it is still producing Golden eggs? That's just the way 
it's done.

  Do the current musicians playing in the Preservation Hall make any 
more money than the tired old guys who inhabited the place for a 
century because they could not get a better gig or make any more money? 
Hell no. Do they get any more respect as Musicians? Hell no, they are 
actually looked down upon by many other musicians other than the 
Preservationist who buy into the myth and wish the Hell they could play 
there or at least sit in with those guys, and fulfill their perverted 
unrealistic idea of being a Jazz Musician. For God's sakes guys there 
are better Jazz musicians playing on the streets of New Orleans for 
tips than what they hire in the Preservation Hall Jazz band. At least 
there were prior to the recent hurricanes and floods.

  The only thing many organizations and players who follow the rules of 
Preservation are preserving is the mediocrity of revivalist who 
perhaps, simply had no idea of what the hell they were reviving in the 
first place.

  > Trad is generally ignored here although in all fairness so is a lot 
of
 > other jazz too. It would be hard to characterize St. Louis as being
 > anything. Typically we don't have many headliners hit here. As you
 > point out good reviews don't come very often. We do have some
 > fantastic players working some of the venues.


I could be wrong here guys, but seem to me that St., Louis was known 
for the Blues ???

  Dixieland and Jazz are generally ignored everywhere in the USA. Few of 
us
  band leaders are trying to do something about that. But even our own 
peers
  give us a load of crap about it for reasons which still mystify me. As 
a 71+
  year old American, I was brought up to be responsible for what I do 
and to
  create my own environment. Not to believe that the world owes me a 
living
  because I am an artist. So I am a jazz activist that creates work for 
my
  band. That seems to piss some people off, but what the hell, I am not 
doing
 it for them anyway.



 >Larry writes about bands dressing in the uniforms of the times

Steve says:
  > We are back to T shirts and Jeans. Just wearing a tie is no longer 
the
  > norm and as someone suggested that bands of the past dressed 
elegantly
 > in white tuxes and tails. Yes that's a fact as many photos suggest. I
 > suggest that those bands had to dress that way just as society bands
 > dress in tuxes today. I put on my tux every Saturday night. There is
  > another angle and that was that they wanted to be accepted as more 
than
 > street musicians and they did it through often elegant clothing.

Absolutely, they wanted to look better than the guy on the wagon that 
just came in from the field or from his not often too self fulfilling 
gig at what ever he did.   This gave the guy attending the dance or 
concert a sense of hope that one day he too might learn to play a 
musical instrument and become a RESPECTED Blues or Jazz Musician and Be 
SOMEBODY TOO.   Why and where did we lose that influence guys?


 Get off the T shirt and jeans concept.

Absolutely correct again,  if your playing for a Biker Bar or a Blue 
Grass gig or a Hoe Down fine, that is a perfectly normal situation to 
dress Down to the audience and be one of the good ole boys, but at 
least wear a clean starched gingham red & WHITE POLKA DOT SHIRT, and a 
Cowboy Hat.   Hell if you are in the Apalachian's wear a damned Three 
cornered hat.



 Gee whiz, last Saturday I did a
  formal jazz concert/dance for a Fraternity at the University of PA. I 
wore
  Tux pants, suspenders, white shirt, long tie. T shirts and jeans are 
not
  normal audience wear. Play a public park concert. The audience is 
casually
  dressed. So dress neatly and casually. Slacks and a Sport Shirt are 
perfect.
  Me, I'm partial to Ralph Lauren wear because I personally relate to 
horses,
  having owned between 3 (now) and 11 (20 years ago) for the past 30 
years.

 > I would think that a club would be the wrong place to wear the vests
 > etc. However on the street and a lot of other informal kind of gigs I
  > think it is appropriate and a whole lot more comfortable than some 
other
 > outfits might be.

  Our neat casual wear suffices for 95% of our gigs, excluding the 
Showboat
  Casino. At the showboat, we are trying to look like a New Orleans 
Marching
  Band without being in uncomfortable clothing. So we wear Tux Pants, 
black
  suspenders, regular white shirts, long colorful ties. And every day we 
play
  there, about 100 this year, we are asked "Are You From New Orleans?, 
so we
 know we have succeeded.

Now Yes, Steve you have succeeded, however you are eminating the look 
of a less esteemed Brass Band from New Orleans who was not yet 
successful enough to afford proper Uniforms, come on man Buy the damned 
coats and Hats to go with em, :))
That look for a brass band is the same as the red vests and the garter 
belts and Straw hats.  Even the cheap ass Tourist hotels that send out 
the Three piece Brass Bands dress them up in the Coats and Hats.  :))

You know the Three piece Authentic Dixieland  Bands.  Image.

I would think that your client, the Show Boat should be educated a bit 
better towards this goal.  But then again I am a perfectionist about 
image as far as the budget will allow.

 Once I asked a wedding groom what we should wear.
  (They were formal) Being about 25 years old, he said: "Hey, you're the 
band,
 wear what you please." So we played in our neat casual mode. The bridal
 party and the guests thought it was hip.

  > I don't think the music is corney however it is dated but I guess 
that
  > assumes that the performance is somehow less than standard and I 
dislike
 > doing anything that is less than standard.

  The music may not be corny . . . but the PERCEPTION of the mass 
audience is
  that it is all corny. You and I know better, but they don't. Corny 
implies
  for example, that Dixieland clarinet is like what Ted Lewis played. 
That
 indeed is now seen as corny, but not all clarinetists played like him.

I agree whole heartedly with this for what ever it's worth.  It's all a 
matter of PERCEPTION.

So why do we keep allowing the public and the media to perceive some of 
us as Substandard and corny  clowns ??

 > Go for it but I have found that a lot of musicians like to do that
  > anyway to anyone they perceive as lesser musicians or not as cool 
than
 > themselves or not "in". It doesn't say a lot for us.

  I follow an unwritten rule of never putting another musician down by 
name,
  publicly. Note that I usually use "we" when I discuss what I perceive 
as a
  general fault. That includes "me". Heck I even defend Kenny G when 
folks
 name him as a musical hack. What bullshit. He plays melody, he plays in
  tune, his music has pleased countless millions and new Christmas Album 
is
 wonderful. And oh yes, his music has all the elements of jazz including
  improvisation. How the hell then, does anyone have the balls to put 
him down
 for what he accomplishes?

  Not to like his music is fine, but to then rant and publicly put him 
down
  for it, is simply ignorant. Many do it because they think it is cool. 
BUT:

 The hip folks among us appreciate him for what he is. ;-) VBG

 Cheers,
 Steve

Yep, and that Ladies and Gentlemen is the the definition of COOL.
So dress any way that turns you and your audience on and be as COOL as 
you wannabe or even NOT COOL if you like.

Cheers,

Tom Oh SOOOOOOO COOOL Wiggins
Pimp me Daddy Eight to the Bar.


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