[Dixielandjazz] Today's Jazz - was - Tears

[Robert Ringwald]

Tim Shaw wrote:



I agree with Phil.  A lot of today's musicians may be vastly technically superior

(but what about Jimmie Noone, Omer Simeon, Jabbo Smith - to name only three?) - but

they don't use their technique with restraint. Also, you get a different sound on

modern instruments (wider bore brass and saxes, narrower bore clarinets.  The old

instruments were much harder to control and projected more. These days that's not

a consideration since most live music is amplified, even though it's already loud.

Because its so loud, I think a lot of the audience switch off. You can't listen to

loud amplified music in a large venue in the same way that you'd listen to unamplified

music in a small venue. 





This brings to mind a subject which was batted around some years ago here on DJML. At the risk of repeating myself, I will do so for those of you who either don’t remember, or for new members. 



Loud PA systems drive me crazy. However, unfortunately with the 60 and 70 year olds now, their musical formative years were in the 50s when Rock became popular and loud guitars began to dominate the pop music scene. Unfortunately the bands since then have gotten louder and louder, thus the audience expects a band to be very loud. “If you are not loud, you are not good.” 



As Steve said, now days people hear music with their eyes.



At the recent Sacramento Music (formerly Jazz) Festival there was a very entertaining band that drew capacity, SRO houses. 



1.       The leader, while singing, held a guitar and pretended to play it. He had all the moves of the Rock guitar players except for one thing. He never moved his fingers on the frets. It was obvious to anyone who knew what to watch for that he was not really playing. However, a friend while raving about the band to me, said, and the leader sure plays great guitar. I didn’t burst his bubble. 



I can’t tell you how many times I have sat in the audience at an event while the band is onstage waiting for the sound people to get it going. Once in a while the band will give up and begin to play. It turns out that they sound better without being miked. 



Then the PA comes on, there’s feedback, the band is not mixed properly, the banjo is drowning out the trumpet, etc. The singer sings half a chorus before the person running the sound board realizes. He turns the singers mike up to terrible feedback. 



Towards the end of the song, the singer starts to sing again and his mike is turned off.   



Several years ago while Roger Krum was still the Exec Director of the then Sacramento Dixieland Jubilee, I talked him into making one venue where no mics were used. The bands would be completely acoustic. It was a beautiful room with great acoustics. I thought that it would be a pleasure to play in the room without amplification and listen to other bands the same way. 



Would you believe that out of some 140 bands, I was the only band leader that signed up for this room? My idea was abandoned. 





Tim further wrote:

      

The Condon bands do have enjoyable energy, - like a drunken

rabble having fun.  I prefer the controlled power of the better Oliver CJB recordings

or (later) eg the early Basie band. There's more skill required for control than

for letting it all out!





Here, I have to respectfully disagree with Tim. While the groups that Condon put together played balls out, most all of those musicians were fully capable of playing in the style of Oliver and Basie. 



You are not going to find any better players than Bobbie Hackett and Billie Butterfield as far as being able to play in a more subdued style. This goes for most of the other players who by the way, did play in some of the big bands. 



They were professionals, playing what was required of them at the time. 



While their music appeared to be played by (to quote Tim), “ a drunken Rabble,” all of the Condon musicians were in control and knew what they were doing at every moment. 



Unfortunately some people have a tendency to button hole musicians into one style, just as they do with actors.  



Here is an example that just happened to me the other night.  



I was playing piano, a trio gig, soft Jazz, American Songbook, etc. 



A booker came in. She told me that she had submitted me for a potential gig. The client said, “Oh, we’ve used him, I want something different.” 



The gig that she used me on was a Mardi Gras party a couple years ago. She wanted a trio. I played banjo, Jim Maihack played trombone, doubling on 2nd banjo. We had a washboard player. All three of us sang. It worked out well and the people enjoyed it and the client seemed to enjoy it. 



We played what the job required and everyone was happy.  



However, now in the client’s mind, I am button-holed into being strictly a banjo player with a little trio. 



I wonder if in the 20s, 30s and 40s if the general public was as ignorant about good music as they are today?  



--Bob (Now where’d they put that damn piano) Ringwald

Fulton Street Jazz Band

Bob Ringwald Trio

www.ringwald.com