[Dixielandjazz] vocals - Musical ADHD

Fri May 25 11:36:15 PDT 2007

With my big Dixie band I have a Female Vocalist who is pretty good and works 
the crowd.  There is room for improvement but I think she's worth having in 
the band.

We are starting to do a lot of vocals.  When I work as a duo I do a lot 
more, almost every tune has a vocal chorus.  With the big band I don't do as 
many.  I tend to sing the old favorites like Jada, Carolina In The Morning 
etc.

Just having a female vocalist is also not the norm around here.  I was 
impressed with a vocalist that was with the Salty Dogs.  I think that was 
the group anyway.  They were here at a jazz fest about 7 or 8 years ago. 
She could really work the crowd and was a big hit.

So I'm giving it a try with a vocalist and a couple of others sing some too.

I just think it helps you connect with people more and if you do that you 
can do well.  I have performed with strictly instrumental groups and some of 
them have been very good but there's something lacking.

I understand that musicians like to stand up and play solos and show off but 
I'm not so much about that.  I prefer doing a lot of tunes an hour and that 
the band be more ensemble oriented rather than a string of solos.  There is 
another advantage to this and that is you don't have to have killer 
musicians in every chair to put on a good show.

If you expect a musician who hasn't the chops to play solos every tune then 
you will have a hole in every tune.  I think it's better to let people do 
what they can do well and if it's only 8 bars then it's only 8 bars.  I 
would much rather have a musician be able to take a good 8 bar solo than 
expect the same person to hack through things he isn't capable of.

I guess I must get bored fast but I just don't like long extended solos.  I 
came to that conclusion when I was in the AF and I was playing lead tenor 
with the big band.  There was an extended solo that went like 3 or 4 
choruses on Sweet Georgia Brown. At least the second two choruses had 
something to play against.   I would just run out of things to say by the 
end of the second chorus but it went on and on and on.  I'm sorry but 32 
bars is enough for anyone and even that's too much a lot of times.

I like things changing off -  That could come from the clicker mentality 
that we have now - get bored - Click!!  Maybe I have Musical ADHD.
Larry
St. Louis
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Jim Kashishian" <jim at kashprod.com>
To: "Larry Walton" <larrys.bands at charter.net>
Cc: "Dixieland Jazz Mailing List" <dixielandjazz at ml.islandnet.com>
Sent: Friday, May 25, 2007 10:28 AM
Subject: [Dixielandjazz] vocals

>
> I'll just have to add my thoughts to this one...
>
> Vocals/singers have always been the "naughty word" amongst 
> instrumentalists.
> Standing in the background while a singer "fronts" the band is not 
> normally
> what we like to do.
>
> However, in our kind of music, one tends to run into the "singer within 
> the
> band" more than having to back a singer for a whole set.  And, yes, I do
> believe strongly that this is something audiences like.
>
> Perhaps the common person is able to "connect" easier with the vocalist 
> than
> a musician.  (Everyone can sing, well or poorly, but not all have the
> knowledge of a musical instrument.)
>
> I carry the tune in our band, and I know as a fact that without the vocals 
> a
> lot of our gigs wouldn't happen.  That is not because I have some kind of
> great voice, but has more to do with the above mentioned fact.
>
> Those in our band have all had too many years backing some very well-known
> singers, and prefer to leave all that behind us.  The odd chorus sung by
> yours truly is acceptable & works commercially.
>
> Funny story:  once, during a sorta wild version of Darktown Strutter's 
> Ball
> I dropped the microphone.  Instead of picking it up, I threw myself on the
> floor after the thing....misjudged the distance, & smashed my lip on the
> mic.  When I stood up (still singing energetically), there was blood all
> over the mic, my shirt, etc.  The audience went wild! I think it brought 
> out
> the bullfighting spirit in them & they probably wanted to see if an ear
> would be cut off next!!   :>
>
> Jim
>
>
>
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