[Dixielandjazz] Dixieland Re-Creations

[Larry Walton Entertainment - St. Louis]

>From Steve Barbone.
> I hear you. Early in this thread was the thought that re-creations succeed
> because there is an audience for them. And that is the most important
> ingredient for the viability of a musician and/or band. Play what the
> audience comes to hear...... The re-creation, or the modern band that
> repeats more or less are very much the same. That would be stultifying to
> me........

L.W. --Recreating your own hits is the reason, I believe, that groups like 
the Beatles break up.  Being forced to do the same thing over and over is 
boring.  Creative people just can't stand it.  The public just wants to hear 
the familiar.  A good example is the riff in the middle of In the Mood.
>
>
> Our band frequently records performances for our own amusement and we 
> always
> chuckle at the "newness" of even the old war horses like Indiana, Sweet
> Georgia Brown or Lady Be Good which we play for audience recognition. When
> the band is "on", it's like we are playing a brand new tune.

L.W ---This is as it should be and makes music fun and interesting for the 
musician.
>
> Fully realizing that there are some list mates who might think; "Oh no, if 
> I
> hear Lady Be Good one more time I'll die."
>
L.W.--- There is a good friend of mine who is a fine and very creative 
musician but there was a time when he repeated the same solo riffs to a 
point I knew what was going to happen.  I thought I would scream if I heard 
it one more time and then he played it again almost the same way.  It got so 
bad the other guys started to parody the riffs.   All of a sudden the old 
creativity and style broke through and he never looked back.  I don't know 
why this happens but musicians like ball players get in a slump.  Another 
variation of this is doing quotes.  Some guys throw the same quote into a 
tune in the same place. BORING!!!  I know only one guy that actually can 
bring off doing a quote because  they are spontainious, don't show up 
regularly and are always different.
>
> Yet they all, including a tune like What a Wonderful World, allow an
> inventive musician virtually unlimited possibilities for improvisation.
>
L.W. --- that's a tune that I really don't care for much.  I work with a 
wedding band that plays it as a closer.  There is no jazz and after 
screaming for three or four hours and  are tired we have to play that piece 
of crap arrangement.  The people seem to like it though.

Larry
St. Louis