[Dixielandjazz] Good sets.... good tunes....

[GWW174 at aol.com]

I am not a musucian.... just an audio engineer... but tonight listening to 
Cyrus radio in a local restaurant playing old Sinatra music I had a 'revalation' 
of probably the most important part of a song... a performance... a set... 
and even a festival  Sinatra was singing his "my way" and you could hear the 
song build and build to a great end.  
 
It dawned on this non-musician listener that one of the 'big secrets' of a 
great band ...and also a great song... is that they start out GOOD... and 
throughout a song or a set they somehow manage to get better and better and 
better.... they build to a crescendo - particularly during a set and by the end of 
their set, the audience is 'in their hands' wanting more and more and more.  And 
as PT Barnam once said 'quit while leaving the audience screaming for more'.
 
I have thought about some of the great bands on the festival ckt over the 
years.... Garden Ave Seven was good at this..Nightbloomers are good at it... 
Today's Coronet Chop Suey, Titan Ave Seven and others are all 'masters' with 
starting out strong and building the set to a roaring climax - hence their success 
with their audiences and n the festival circuit.  I'm not old enough to 
remember the bands of the 30's, and 40's but I ams ure their are some 'historians' 
out there who can prove or disprove this observation.  The songs as well as the 
sets all build to a crescendo - all done with music.  and that's talent for 
sure.  Not sure if this can be gaught or learned but must be 'felt' from within 
the soul.  any thoughts or comments?
 
Gordon of Northridge.
 
PS. you can't start out a set playing mediocre orpoorly and then suddenly get 
good or tolerable at the end.  That's not the same and WILL NOT WORK.



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