[Dixielandjazz] The Dixieland or Jazz Look

Thu Apr 26 09:53:18 PDT 2007

Russ that's what I said in an earlier post.  The customer is always right 
and I try to make sure that the guy that signs the check is happy.  I also 
said that they virtually always pick the vest and that look.  I think that 
the people that hire me want the flash and show.  I work a lot of Senior 
venues and I think they respond to bright colors.  My stands are flashy too. 
My thing about vests is that I don't overheat while playing and we can go 
either way more or less formal easily.  I just don't care for jackets and I 
don't think I look good in polo's.  That's personal taste and preference.  I 
would never say that other groups should follow my formula but it seems to 
work for me.
Larry
St. Louis
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Russ Guarino" <russg at redshift.com>
To: "Larry Walton Entertainment - St. Louis" <larrys.bands at charter.net>
Cc: "Dixieland Jazz Mailing List" <dixielandjazz at ml.islandnet.com>
Sent: Thursday, April 26, 2007 12:21 AM
Subject: Re: [Dixielandjazz] The Dixieland or Jazz Look


> 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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>> >
>> >
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>> >
>>
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