[Dixielandjazz] vocals

[Ministry of Jazz]

Shalom Jazz Fans,

I am not a singer, never thought I could sing, and never tried ... that is,
until I started doing street music solo with my banjo. When I first came to
Israel I played every afternoon and/or evening, usually 3-4 hours a day or
more. I quickly discovered that standing in the street with a banjo, even
playing pretty well (if I do blow my own horn for a second), was a) not a
big draw as far as getting folks' attention, and b) somewhat boring after
awhile. For the sake of sheer variety, and to try to connect better with the
people passing by, I began trying to croak out some vocals. I knew the
choruses of many of the songs I played, and made the effort to learn some of
the verses too. I could hit the notes, but had no real quality in my voice,
no vibrato, no sustain power. What I did was little more than talking the
melodies in tune. However it made me somewhat more animated, more prone to
"talk" to the people instead of just playing into the air, and soon my tips
began to increase, and more people would stop and listen.

I guess belting out tunes in the open without a mic builds up the lungs, and
with some experience I was able to integrate my singing and playing into my
own groove. When I eventually formed my Doctor Jazz band, it was natural for
me to continue doing the vocals. Meanwhile I was learning to play trumpet,
reviving my tuba skills, and also playing my original ax much more -- my
trombone. One of my students took over the banjo role, but he didn't sing.
So I would have to (and still do) stop playing a horn in order to do the
vocals, even if I had only the banjo backing me, or perhaps another front
line horn.

Why am I telling you all this on this thread? Because, to my great chagrin,
I began getting complimented for my singing. Now after all these years, I
probably do whatever it is that I do with my untrained voice fairly well.
But I have ears, and I've heard recordings of myself, and I cannot imagine
what these people are hearing that they think is worthy of a special
compliment. I bust my chops trying to play the horns well, and the banjo
when I still do solo work sometimes. I think I do a pretty good job. Maybe
not great, but pretty good. But do I ever get told that I remind someone of
Louis? or Tommy Dorsey? or just that they like the horns? More than once,
people have told me they are professional voice teachers or vocalists, and
they love how I sing. I never know what to say. I feel like looking over my
shoulder to see if they're talking to someone else behind me.

My interpretation of it all is that people must just enjoy the vocals. OK, I
do sing with a lot of heart, and reach out to my audiences. But I am not a
singer, and don't expect to ever be one. I live for the day when Dr. Jazz
can afford to hire a female vocalist (OK, a girl singer would do), so I can
keep playing the horns. Until then, the vocals seem to be crowd pleasers,
and I'll keep on belting them out.

By the way, a couple months ago I finally got vindicated when we were
playing in the lobby of the Jerusalem Theater, and a horn player from the
symphony stopped to say he enjoyed my work on the horns.

Audiences like the vocals folks. Give it to 'em.

Blessings from Jerusalem,

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