[Dixielandjazz] Repeated solos

[Kerry Maule]

Hi Everyone,
Time for a ³lurker² to weigh in.  I must agree with Jim, who wrote
³Anyone that plays regularly will find it an effort to remember to try
something new, not to get stuck in the groove, even if it is a groovy one.
It is the only way to keep the music fresh, thereby keeping yourself & your
bandmates fresh.  Otherwise, it just becomes a job².

How true this must have been for Louis, and Hodges and other Ellington men,
who played 250-300 days per year for decades and were expected by the masses
to play their past hits and classics.  When this subject arises I remember
piano giant Herbie Hancock saying (roughly),  ³It doesn¹t matter if you play
the same solo, what matters is that it sounds like it¹s the first time
you¹ve played it².  IMO this may be one of the major overlapping areas of
jazz and classical performance.  Classical artists perform exactly the same
notes and phrases they¹ve practiced thousands of times, yet they infuse it
with passion and energy, making it sound fresh and vital.

On a personal note, starting mid-June I¹ll be leaving Anchorage and playing
for Cunard lines on the Queen Victoria, Queen Mary 2, and Queen Elizabeth.
I¹ll be playing trumpet with the ³Royal Court Theater Orchestra,² mostly
playing shows while sailing the Baltic, Atlantic and Mediterranean though
July 2012.  If called upon to do so, I¹ll try to vary my solos  :-)
-- 
Kerry Maule
Snapping Turtle Music
Studio (907) 245-5299  Cell (907) 244-0545
Fax (907) 245-5298