[Dixielandjazz] The Dixieland or Jazz Look

Wed Apr 25 22:21:47 PDT 2007

Why not ask the customer.  I usually do.

Russ Guarino

"Larry Walton Entertainment - St. Louis" wrote:

> What to wear is the question my wife asks a lot - is it formal or is it
> casual and if so how formal or how casual?
>
> Musicians need to ask the same question too.  Red suspenders and or fire
> hats might be out of place at a Junior League party where the diamonds and
> jewels are out in force or at the local country club unless the customer
> OK's it.
>
> Park concerts, picnics or the like would call for the red suspenders etc.
> and a jacket would be out of place.
>
> Most OKOM bands won't be doing many formal parties but if they do their
> outfits should be capable of being formal.  I have red, fairly expensive
> paisley vests and can wear a tux shirt, cummerbund, probably tux pants and
> bow tie.  We can always easily slip on the jacket if necessary.   If someone
> asks me to mix a drink I ask for a tip.  My advice is don't stand behind the
> bar if you think you look like a bar tender.   I feel that what we wear can
> go either way easily.
>
> Is this right for the college crew?  Probably not and Steve makes a valid
> point but It seems to me that with the instrumentation (Guitar, Electric
> Bass) that Steve has that his group is more of a crossover group that would
> appeal to the non OKOM buyer also.  It's a good business plan to be
> versatile.
>
> I guess it depends a lot on what your market is.  I could even see where
> this kind of band would wear sandals and shorts and a T.
>
> Last summer I worked most weekends with a guy that has pink T's with bone
> khaki pants and White Tennies.  It really looks gay.  Some lady drove by and
> hollered at us "You Look Gay".  Do you think its the outfit or that the band
> was all holding hands?
> Larry
> St. Louis
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Steve Barbone" <barbonestreet at earthlink.net>
> To: "Larry Walton" <larrys.bands at charter.net>
> Cc: "Dixieland Jazz Mailing List" <dixielandjazz at ml.islandnet.com>
> Sent: Wednesday, April 25, 2007 4:40 PM
> Subject: [Dixielandjazz] The Dixieland or Jazz Look
>
> > David Dustin <postmaster at fountainsquareramblers.org> wrote (polite snips)
> >
> >> I agree with Ted?s point, but the standard for professional dress depends
> >> on
> >> where you are in the world.  .  .  .  . snip to
> >
> >> If you want to score with audiences, most of whom are not jazz critics
> >> who
> >> fly around the world to attend the latest OKOM festival, you have to
> >> consider yourself an entertainer first and a musician second.  To do
> >> that,
> >> you have to adopt some sort of a band look, and yes, take a cue from some
> >> of
> >> those OKOM LP covers in the 1940s, 50s and 60s.  This is what your
> >> audience
> >> remembers and expects. Looking like Miles (in either early OR late
> >> manifestations) or Monk ain?t going to help sell your band to any
> >> normally
> >> distributed OKOM crowd (in the USA) these days outside the major urban
> >> areas.  The old folks who pay our fees want to see the snappy (or
> >> mismatched) socks, the bright vests or jackets, the loud suspenders
> >> (braces,
> >> to our listmates in the former British Commonwealth) sleeve garters, the
> >> straw boaters/skimmers or panama hats, derbys/bowlers, or maybe even the
> >> New
> >> Orleans classic style fireman?s hats worn in the early bands.
> >
> > I agree with Dave's points above.
> >
> > 1) Depends where you are
> >
> > 2) Depends on your audience.
> >
> > I would only add a perspective from the point of Barbone Street Audiences.
> > We seek and find a broad audience of young people who were not around in
> > the
> > 40s, 50s, or 60s. So they do not relate to straw hats, red striped
> > shirts/jackets, suspenders and the shtick that we normally associate with
> > Jazz Society members and/or old folks memories.
> >
> > They were brought up on what went on in the musical scene after Elvis and
> > The Beatles. They don't know a hell of a lot about Dixieland.
> >
> > Since we seek to bring a new audience into the OKOM orbit, we dress like
> > we
> > normally dress walking around. Casual, different, current fashion, relaxed
> > etc., etc., etc. And we play a brassy, loud, high energy style of
> > Dixieland
> > and/or Swing.
> >
> > At jazz society gigs, usually a couple of old folks come up and tell me
> > the
> > guitar is too loud. I politely listen and then ignore their suggestion.
> > Because the majority of the people there are quite happy with our sound.
> >
> > Our band sound is different from the usual OKOM played these days. Yet we
> > book several Jazz Society Concerts a year as well as grammar schools, high
> > schools, colleges, swing dances, private parties, Society events, public
> > park concerts, Modern Jazz Festivals, Gambling Casinos, Corporate events
> > etc., etc., etc.
> >
> > Yesterday, we played the final three numbers at The Curtis Institute of
> > Music in celebration of Glenn Dodson monumental classical and jazz
> > contributions to the music world. We followed a couple of numbers by 13 of
> > the finest classical trombonists in the world. They were superb. We
> > dressed
> > for that audience in jackets and ties. We brought the house down, playing
> > the third number as an encore because of the prolonged cheering and
> > applause
> > and an audience that would not let us leave after our scheduled two.
> >
> > When you have an audience like that, with educated musical ears, who give
> > you that kind of reception, you can't help but feel you've brought a few
> > more new people into the OKOM fold. Most of them were classical music
> > lovers
> > or classical musicians, except for a group of about 20 of Glenn's young
> > fans
> > from the Jazz and Swing world who came to say goodbye.
> >
> > Ask Doug Finke, leader of of Independence Hall. He was there. Or ask list
> > mate Nancie Beaven. She saw us a few days earlier at a Tri State Jazz
> > Society Concert in New Jersey dressed in our usual casual clothes. Nobody
> > really cared how we dressed. They cared about what we said to them and how
> > we played. Same for the classical players on the Curtis program who
> > dressed
> > as individuals, dark suits, light suits, sport jackets, slacks and shirt,
> > etc. The musicians looked exactly like the audience.
> >
> > Barbone Street shtick is not clothes. It is patter with the audience and
> > making them feel comfortable with what we do. (and beads when appropriate
> > which seems to infuriate some on the DJML who can't buy a gig)
> >
> > Point being, whatever works, works. Which goes right back to Dave's two
> > points above. Where you are, who your audience is. I would only add that
> > who
> > YOU are is also part of the equation.
> >
> > Cheers,
> > Steve Barbone
> >
> >
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