[Dixielandjazz] Oh Yeah Day, please, read

Tue Aug 16 18:10:59 PDT 2011

Oh, oh, oh, I must answer this. It will be a long post but I must step in
now, I believe. While I was happy to see the many posts about Oh Yeah Day
yesterday when I returned from my week-long holiday (while I had no access
to DJML) I think that my great friend, Bob Ringwald made a proposal that
would mislead the original concept VERY MUCH. I'm answering not only because
the initiative idea came from me but because I think that Bob's post
represents a very common, but, IMHO, a very false way of thinking among jazz
lovers. This will not be a short post but I think, it would be important to
all who want to see classic jazz survive for long. This is especially
important now when we just heard the news about the cancellation of the
Orange County Classic Jazz Festival. Bob wrote:
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While getting the audience to sing "Oh Yeah" is a great idea, audiences like
to join in and sing for some strange reason, I think the movement would have
a lot more chance of gaining worldwide acceptance if it were called "Louis
Armstrong Day."  
We may eventually get the day to be recognized as "Louis Armstrong Day" by
our U.S. government.  
It is all a matter of PR.  
-------
Wrong, Bob, I must say. You are approaching this subject very much from a
jazz musician's point of view. And very much from the US, not trying to
think globally. Let's face facts and then let's ask proper questions:

Facts:
1. Audience for classic jazz is aging and dying out.
2. Young people are not interested in classic jazz. There are some young
players but they do not attract/draw young audience.
3. If the tendencies continue, there will be no market for classic jazz very
soon.
4. Classic jazz is not interesting to the mass media either, the music does
not mean anything to people.
5. There are no jazz starts, celebrities who would be interesting to people
or/and the media, there are no stars. A few figures, like Wynton Marsalis or
Diana Krall don't mean classic jazz to their audience even if they play from
that repertoire.
6. Less and less people know who Louis Armstrong was, even in the US. Just
go around and ask kids. And this might be even worse worldwide. Although
What A Wonderful World made him well-known again for a few years after "Good
morning, Vietnam", most people recognize the song and have no idea about the
artist - partially because so many other singers have recorded since the
movie. (By the way, while at youth concerts in Hungary most kids knew Louis
Armstrong's name 15 years ago, now about 2% of the kids raise their hands
when I ask them if they had heard of him. But amazingly still 90% know Elvis
Presley!)
7. On the other hand: although classic jazz means nothing to kids and most
middle-aged people either. They simply do not know what it is. But if they
hear it they mostly like it.
8. The world has opened a lot - through internet the most. New markets, new
audiences can be found (built, educated etc.) anywhere in the world.

Questions:
1. How can we attract young people?
2. How can we present classic jazz and its great performers to the new (i.e.
mostly young) audience?
3. How can we make classic jazz interesting to the media?
4. What does classic jazz mean to our future audience? If nothing, how can
we describe it in THEIR language? (Also: what do they like in it if they
hear this music that has been unknown to them before?)

And so on. From thinking over the above many times I got to the following
answers/conclusions (note that when I am using the word "youngster" I am
referring to our possible future audience, everyone who hasn't been involved
with jazz music as a regular listener yet, could even be an older fart who
is just not knowledgeable enough about OKOM):

1. People who don't know about classic jazz but happen to hear it (mostly at
open air concerts, in our case, in schools at youth concerts, too) are NOT
appreciating its great players. They might like the technical skill of a
certain player, they might like enjoying live music, they might like certain
melodies or the rhythm. But as far as my experiences go, I can say, they
like its happiness. Sometimes even sadness. But certainly its honesty,
simplicity (it's an absolutely understandable, digestible music) and its
positive attitude.
2. Louis Armstrong is the one who is still the best known among all jazz
musicians. His name, personality is perfect for expressing the meaning of
classic jazz. But his name directly does not mean anything to most
youngsters. We have to use his attitude, his positive personality, his
smiles to show people the essence of jazz.
3. If you want to attract younger generation, you have to speak THEIR
language. You have to use THEIR tools etc. You have to have ACTIVITY around
your topic. Think big, act big. Don't be shy, try to involve them.
4. Media is not interested 

By the time I got to this point in my thinking process I realized that
Armstrong's "Oh Yeah" tag expresses the essence of classic jazz on the most
simple, clearest yet true way. (And please, do not talk about improvisation,
instrumentation and such as essence of jazz in this context - think of ONE
thing that is true in jazz and that can be understandable right away to
anyone on the planet.) I found "Oh Yeah" a good calling slogan also because
it can be sung/shouted together with the musicians/singers, so people get
involved. If you use "Oh Yeah" as a symbol of positive attitude, you can go
even much further. A lot further. In the first minute you might think, it
will bring the whole thing way out of jazz. But keep in mind that all
activities around to Oh Yeah Day should be strictly connected to the basic
idea and always mention Armstrong's role, attitude etc. To be more exact,
just three examples:

- Tell people to upload their "Oh Yeah" photos/videos on the Oh Yeah Day
Facebook page. Not musical contents, just experiences, memorable moments
photographed or videoed that have the positive attitude described simply in
Armstrong's smiling "Oh Yeah". Of course, other people must have the chance
to Like the uploads and then a winner should be announced. There must be
some presents, prizes, whatever. Could be done locally, anywhere, at any
website. The best if it's international and centralized.
- Drawing contest for kids about their own "Oh Yeah" experience. Same
procedure.
- Shouting contest: who can shout "Oh Yeah" louder? Might be a Guinness
record attempt, too. (Or the most people shouting/singing Oh Yeah
together...)

These are just three ideas. You might say, these would lead people far from
jazz and Armstrong. But if the announcement of such an event/contest
declares that it is centred around Armstrong, and his "Oh Yeah" is played at
the contest, a local jazz band plays a few Armstrong songs etc., everyone
will connect even the strangest Oh Yeah Day activity as part of a classic
jazz celebration. That's why it must be called "Oh Yeah Day, World Day of
Classic Jazz". And it's must be emphasized that it is held on and around
Armstrong's birth anniversary.

Furthermore even other genres of music can join with their music that
represents the happy, positive "Oh Yeah" feeling but at the same time it has
to be made clear that most pop and rock (and even hip-hop, techno etc.)
styles have their roots in jazz. I know this is the dangerous part and this
only can be done when Oh Yeah Day is strong enough to include these other
styles, too, without giving them more credit than to Louis and classic jazz.
(Again, the name is important for this reason as well.) We always tell kids
(who, remember, know Elvis but have no idea about Louis) that all types of
popular music were rooted in jazz and Elvis, for example, just re-used an
old pattern. We prove this by playing a slow blues, speeding it up, going
into boogie-woogie than rock'n'roll. Then I sing the original lyrics of
Scott Joplin's Maple Leaf Rag with some ragtime accompaniment (piano and
drums) then doing the same with basically just rhythmic talking/shouting and
heavily emphasized syncopated rhythmic beats in the background and kids
immediately tell themselves that this is rap. So they understand that it
also derives from early jazz/ragtime. Rap is just the re-interpretation of
texted ragtime with no melody.

Well, at the end of this long post: why would the term Louis Armstrong Day
not work worldwide? Because it does not mean anything to most people.
Armstrong is well-known for jazz lovers, musicians and that's it. He is
better known than James P. Johnson or Buddy Bolden or probably anyone else
among the great performers of classic jazz. But he is not well-known enough
to attract new audiences with his name. You can maybe attract the U.S.
Government if you have good connections and/or politicians feel that
Armstrong's name can be well used for America's actual message to the world.
But we don't need to make a great PR for/to the US Government, we need to
make a proper PR for/to people. We have to attract people, human beings, all
over the world. Long term. Over and over. Every year. Annually. What would
be best than a world day? We have to capture young people's hearts, ears and
minds. In this order. Through Oh Yeah Day it is much easier to bring them to
Louis Armstrong's music (or bring Louis to them) indirectly then to try to
introduce Louis directly to them by having a Louis Armstrong Day. I am sure
it would not work. At least far not as effectively and on such a long-term
as the Oh Yeah Day concept could.

You could ask: why haven't I organized such events that I mentioned above
(drawing contest, shouting Guinness record, video uploads etc.) if I know so
well? Basically for two reasons:

1. I did not have enough time for doing all the jobs. Believe me there is
way too much work behind such an idea, making it work from the idea up to
the point when there is a website with enough relevant information etc. And,
unfortunately, people have not signed up in as great numbers as I expected.
And that is very much true to you, listmates, too. Don't get me wrong, I am
not blaming anyone but myself. As Bob Ringwald's post shows I was not clear
enough with explaining the concept in details behind my initiative idea. I
emailed festival organizers, individual musicians, wrote long posts on the
DJML, our own mailing list etc. Less than 700 supporters on the website and
Facebook is a very poor result so far. I expected much more. Not very many
venues for the first year, not very many bands. Yes, I expected much more.
No festivals involved. Yes, I expected some. No official institutions (Louis
Armstrong House etc.) stood behind the idea. I expected them so. I talked to
them personally last November and then by email, too. They loved the idea
and that's it. By now I realized that I overestimated the activity and
enthusiasm of jazz fans and jazz musicians. Or I am talking in another
language, maybe too marketing-orientated so it sounds strange to most jazz
people? Could be. But there are some people who understood the message
right, so I am hoping that time will help the idea.

2. I think that first we have to strengthen the idea within the jazz
community. And when we have enough supporters and enough Oh Yeah Day events,
many bands doing it worldwide, we have many recordings (films) with bands
and audience joining in a final big "Oh Yeah" then we can reach out to new
audiences and media. So this first year was a starting point. Not a bad one,
though. After all, I am not dissatisfied. And I am thankful to those who
have participated.

Very last remark: I found out a recipe that could help getting future
audience for classic jazz by doing something that might be good to draw
media attention etc. But only if there is a lot of activity and a lot of
people behind it. I might be wrong with the direction and there might be
many other successful ways of achieving such a goal. But I think, mine is
working and the Louis Armstrong Day could be not as effective. The main goal
is not commemorating Armstrong. The main goal behind my concept is getting
new audiences that can carry on commemorating Armstrong in the future, too.
Who the hell would commemorate him in 10, 20 and 30 years? Less and less
people as tendencies show... I have a whole concept, a whole structure in my
head but I am sure I have said enough for one post. Thanks for your
attention.

Best regards to everyone and, by the way, OH YEAH,

Tamas

PS.: I am still waiting to get the missing films and would ask all who have
done their Oh Yeah Day event but haven't recorded it to repeat it ASAP and
record it at their next gig and send the recordings to me - I hope I don't
have to explain why it is essential. I haven't received the promised
recordings from Jim Kashishian, Bill Haesler yet and hope to get a repeated
version filmed from Steve Barbone, Tito Martino, Ernie Landes, Bob Ringwald
and Bob Romans. I hope, the above mentioned musicians got this far in
reading this novel :-)

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ITTZÉS Tamás
violin teacher, ragtime pianist, festival director
www.bohemragtime.com
www.OhYeahDay.com
Address: H-6001 Kecskemét, Pf. 652., Hungary
Phone (classical): +36(20)82-447-82 
Phone (jazz): +36(20)960-7169
E-mail (classical): ittzes.tamas at gmail.com
E-mail (jazz): info at bohemragtime.com
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