[Dixielandjazz] Critics and Stage Presence

[pj.ladd]

As was the instrument waving of the swing bands in the 1930s. <grin>>>

Yeah! a line of trombones was particularly spectacular.

I have no quarrel with that. Thats showmanship, but all the stuff the girl 
was doing was so obviously the result of a `Rock school` style of tutoring 
with nothing left of her own personality and I felt that it intruded into, 
not enhanced, the  performance.

I seem to be in the minority here although one or two have crept out of the 
woodwork to support me.

Incidentally many, many years ago I took my (then) young daughter to see the 
Monkees and they milked the audience with every trick in the book. Before 
the curtains opened, a hand holding a pair of drumsticks came slowly out 
from between the curtains, picked out by a spot. The audience, mainly young 
girls went wild. Screaming, squealing, fainting all over the place as the 
hand slowly withdrew. It was obviously supposed to be Mickey Dolenz but was 
probably a stage hand. During the performance Naismith sat on the edge of 
the stage and sang directly to one girl in the front row.. There was uproar. 
Girls in a dead faint being passed overhead to the First Aid staff and taken 
outside. They Monkees were rehearsed to the last degree with all these 
gimmicks yet the performance seemd absolutely spontaneous. Marvellous. This 
girls performance did not, to me, seem spontaneous, and that is my beef. She 
did everything except throw beads!

Closing now as Daniel Barrenboen (cant be bothered to look up the spelling) 
is playing  a Beethoven Concerto on TV. Will he throw beads?

Cheers

Pat