[Dixielandjazz] What general audiences expect (IMO)

[David Dustin]

Jeanne Brei wrote:
...in NYC, a typical cabaret show is 12 songs, 10 of which are gems and two
of which are slightly obscure standards -- because the audience is a
well-informed, listening audience that primarily listens with their head.
So, I wrote up a NY-style cabaret show and within the 2-3 songs, I could
feel the Vegas audience's attention drifting - they wanted the STANDARDS
that they know because they listen from their heart and below.... So I
turned to my pianist and...we threw out most of the rest of the set and just
did songs that they would all know. Fortunately, I was then asked back every
couple of months for more shows and I reversed the NY-style to "Vegas-style
cabaret" - 12 songs, 10 of which everyone knows ALL the words to - and two
"gems." 

Jeanne¹s experience supports the argument that the typical OKOM audience
seeking ENTERTAINMENT, as opposed to artistic exploration and fulfillment,
will be more than satisfied with familiar OKOM standards from any decade and
not obscure titles ‹ however deserving of performance they may be ‹ from the
1920s.  Bob Ringwald¹s point which kicked off this thread:
> It has been so many years since the "Roaring 20s" that none of the songs
> have to be authentic 1920.  They just have to sound like they are.

When that prompted a vigorous dissent, Bob added:

>...I was responding to the gentleman in New Zeeland who asked for (as I
remember) 1920 gangster tunes.  I have been a professional musician for 50
years.  If I were going to play for a 1920s style gangster party, I gave him the
advice that I would use myself.  When you are playing these kinds of parties, it
is only important that you provide the atmosphere that the client wants.  He is
usually not interested in songs such as "Skip The Gutter" or "2 Duces."  he/she
wants to hear songs such as Bill Baily, Tiger Rag, etc. . . . Songs that he/she
recognizes, and that give the idea of a 1920 sound. If in this case it is a
gangster party, he/she wants to hear songs that remind the party goers of the
gangsters in Chicago, etc.

Like many other people, John Q. Public or even musicians, I¹ve never heard
³Skip the Gutter² or ³2 Deuces².  Great songs? Quite possibly. Can they be
fairly characterized as ³bottom shelf² or ³Tin Pan Alley detritus² of the
1920s?  If most people have never heard of them, I would say so. They could
be perfectly snappy 1920s songs, but I will bet that any band playing them
in front of the average 40 townspeople around a bandstand would probably see
people start to pack up their lawnchairs and head for their cars and the
lure of the Boob Tube. Call it what you want, Jeanne¹s ³Vegas-style²
programming method is what works outside the pockets of ³well-informed,
listening² OKOM audiences found in urban centers or at the big festivals.
And Bob¹s point about selecting songs for a 1920s gangster style party that
sound like authentic 1920s songs is valid.

David Dustin