[Dixielandjazz] Boring The Audience

[Steve Barbone]

Bruce McN wrote about hokum and about the seemingly boring performances of
jazz bands in various genres including OKOM. Reminded me of the following
Branford Marsalis quote a bout the audience for jazz.

³Jazz Musicians are always talking about, ŒWhy isn¹t jazz popular.¹ But jazz
musicians today are completely devoid of charisma. People never really liked
the music in the first place. So now you have musicians who are proficient
at playing instruments, and people sit there, and it¹s just boring to them ‹
because they¹re trying to see something, or feel it.²

IMO, Marsalis is right on. MOST jazz bands today view the music as
"intellectual" and the coolest thing one can do is play it without any
emotion or charisma. Like just move your fingers and be a virtuoso.

And most trad jazz chat lists are focused on the past. Heck, the DJML had
more than 20 posts on a song called "Radio". That's OK, I don't criticize
it. People were interested. But I would point out that it is only us old
folks who want to remember the good old days. It is simply not relevant to
the younger audience, which is why we have none. OKOM exists in the here and
now, and will hopefully exist in the future.

The music in, and of itself, was never enough and those of us who saw it in
the 40s and 50s and 60s, will tell you that. Condon, Armstrong, shoot, even
Thelonious Monk, et al all had huge stage presence and knew exactly how to
get the audience going. Who in jazz, especially OKOM, does that today? Who
in jazz, especially OKOM, tries to expand the audience for it?

Too damn few of us who play this music, that's for sure.

Cheers,
Steve Barbone 

PS to Bruce: BTW, the reaction we got at the Red Sea Jazz Festival is very
similar to the reaction Barbone Street gets at Sydney's Jazz Club in
Rehoboth Beach each August 4th weekend in Louis Armstrong's honor. And with
our College performances etc., where young people are. The "young" audiences
there are very energized by us. All sorts of interaction between them and
the band. Basically because we have honed our presentation to connect with
them. Only difference? Sydneys holds about 185 people, Red Sea Held 3000.