[Dixielandjazz] lengths of tunes

[Ministry of Jazz]

Well, maybe not a stopwatch, but from recording I know exactly how long
about 30 of my songs are. They tend to run 2 1/2 to 4 minutes, with most
coming in around 3+. The shortest is about 2:15, and the longest is over 7
minutes.

Since my players are young and not experienced musicians, I work hard to try
to teach them how to build and interpret songs. I don't run a very tight
ship, as is probably clear from my other posts. I want my young players to
take ownership of the band, and not just be working for me. So I hang back
during performances and let things happen as naturally as possible, rather
than try to dictate directions.

I've noticed a few things.:

1) The young guys tend to get tired of tunes early. I have chewed them out
many times (not on stage, but after a gig) for ending songs when they're
tired of them, rather than building to an exciting or satisfying finish.
It's like a race car running a good race, then running out of gas before it
hits the finish line. Once I asked them if they are in that much of a hurry
when they make love to their wives?!

2) The young guys like faster tunes more than slower ones. When I call
Georgia or Blue Moon, I often get sour pusses, and one of them will say,
"No, let's play something happy!" And I say, "Everything we play is happy.
If you find a tune boring, it's because we're not playing it right. So let's
work on that." We get into little dramas, like after 1 1/2 times through
Tishomingo Blues, one of them will say, "Take it home, Elazar." And I have
to shake my head, or bark between phrases, "No, keep it going." On my new
CD, my version of Tishomingo runs for 7:20, which is 4 times around --
ensemble verse and chorus in, vocal verse and chorus, trumpet and bone
trading 4's on the next chorus, then ensemble verse and chorus out. The out
chorus builds more energy (but not faster) than the in chorus, and the song
comes to a satisfying conclusion. It would probably be a good slow dance
tune.

3) The guys tend to take the garage band approach to arrangements: ensemble
in, everyone gets a full chorus solo, then ensemble out. And if they get
tired of the song in the process, well, I've had them pull surprise endings
on me during a tuba or washboard solo. Then one of them would say, "But I
thought you were ending." I have drilled into them, "Read my lips! NEVER end
a song on somebody's solo. You go out on a vocal or ensemble chorus that
builds properly to the end." I am trying to get them used to trading 4's or
8', passing the solo to another player at the bridge, varying rhythms or
styles, 2 bar breaks instead of full chorus solos, and so on.

4) Then younger players have a tendency to play too fast. Vocals get rushed,
horn players (usually me!) can't breathe, and it cuts the length of the song
dramatically. I've worked them on how to select the right tempo for each
song and stick with it. Sometimes I have to conduct with one hand while
singing or playing the trumpet to keep from speeding up.

I saw an old movie recently, don't recall the name of it, where an elderly
wealthy gentleman was sponsoring a big band of young players that was trying
to get started. In one scene, the man asked if they knew a certain tune that
he and his wife danced to at their wedding. The kids responded
enthusiastically as the leader shouted, "Hit it, boys!", and away they ran.
So the fellow shouted at them to stop, and when it got quiet enough, he told
them, "Don't hit it; caress it."

Maybe this is a difference between us older folks and the younger ones.
Maybe we need to keep this in mind, though, when playing for, or trying to
attract, younger audiences and players. I think it's important to feel the
music, to live it, to make love to the songs, and to the audience, while
performing. You don't just crank out tunes to fill the time. Perhaps this is
one of the dying charms of live music as opposed to recordings. If the live
band only cranks out tunes like a DJ, then people will hire the DJ. We've
got to show them the value of "live" music.

Tonight I'm off to the US for a few weeks. Seasons greetings to all,

Elazar
Doctor Jazz Dixieland Band
Tekiya Brass Ensemble
Jerusalem, Israel
www.israel.net/ministry-of-jazz
+972-2-679-2537


-----Original Message-----
From: David Richoux [mailto:tubaman at tubatoast.com]
Sent: Monday, December 17, 2007 1:43 AM

Most OKOM songs were recorded under 3 minutes (limits of the
technology, I know) but I doubt if a live version of a song would
have gone over 5 or 6 minutes. Sure, there are some exceptions - but
I bet they were very rare.

How many of you actually put a stopwatch on your songs? What is the
average song length?