[Dixielandjazz] First Tune of the night

[Stephen G Barbone]

Ken Gates and Dave Richoux covered this subject well. Here is my 2  
cents.

We always pick a tune that swings mightily. That said, I would add  
that our tune picks depend upon the audience. Our band plays mostly to  
audiences that are not as knowledgeable as the usual Jazz Festival  
audience. Many times we only play one, or maybe 2 sets. Many times we  
play to younger people and so we want to make sure that the song is:

1) Recognizable to the audience, or easy for them to follow and hear..

2) A swinging 4 beat number.

3) A tune on which all band members, including the drummer, solo well.

4) Usually an uptempo song, preferably a barn burner. (except weddings)

We figure that the audience will remember the first tune, and the last  
tune played when thinking about how the evening went, or recommending  
the band to their friends.

Our first song choices vary, but some favorites depending upon  
audience are:

Wolverine Blues  (General Audiences)

Avalon (at shore gigs in NJ or DE.  (Avalon NJ is a Beach Resort Town)

C Jam Blues (swing dances)

I Can't Give You Anything But Love (weddings)

For general audiences, we almost always end with the Saints.  
Introducing this last song as our "mystery number". They we all look  
at each other and say, it's a mystery, what is it, etc. <grin> Then we  
play the last few bars  rubato and slightly out of tune so that it is  
unrecognizable to many in the audience. This is followed by the  
drummer doing a New Orleans street beat and then a roll off into the  
song which gets everybody in the audience up and clapping along.

Sometimes . . . gasp . . . the front line even marches out into the  
audience. Depends on how we feel at the moment.

As Bill Haesler would say, "That's Entertainment.

Cheers,
Steve Barbone
www.myspace.com/barbonestreetjazzband