[Dixielandjazz] Responses from Mike Vax --Miami JazzFest and young performers at Jazz events

[Bob Romans]

Hi Listmates…all of you listmates need to see Mike's thoughts…

To:  Musicians and Jazzfans list

From: Norman

 

Mike Vax, listmate/ leader of Stan Kenton Alumni Band and jazz educator, responds to two items—Miami JazzFest info about cancellation and also about young people performing at jazz events and opening one’s ears to newer music.

Thanks Mike, for your thought-provoking comments.

 

From: vaxtrpts at aol.com [mailto:vaxtrpts at aol.com] 
Sent: Saturday, November 17, 2012 6:54 PM
To: nvickers1 at cox.net
Subject: Re: Miami Jazz Fest starring Monty Alexander and other jazz greats-- cancelled 4 days before the event!

 

I went to the link.  Tried to post some thoughts there, but couldn't get in to do it.

Here is what I tried to say on that page:

As the director of a small, but successful jazz festival that has been going for 12 years, my gut feeling is that they tried to be too big, too soon.  And in today's economy?  Their prices were absurd!  If they would have started smaller and charged reasonable prices, I'll bet they would have succeeded.  Then they could grow the festival over a few years to get where they wanted to be.

As much as those of us who play jazz and produce jazz love the music, we have to realize that the percentage of the population that will support what we do is getting smaller.  We have to be creative in how we present the music and be realistic as to what people will pay to hear that music.  This also means that musicians need to be realistic as to what they charge to perform.  Most of us who aren't "big names" will work with festivals to obtain a decent wage and yet make it reasonable for the festival, but many of the those "big guys" are hurting our idiom by being too greedy in what they want to perform.  

Mike Vax
Friends of Big Band Jazz, Prescott Jazz Summit, 
Stan Kenton Alumni Band
www.mikevax.net
www.bigbandjazz.net
www.prescottjazz.com
www.getzen.com

 

Here’s Vax’s comment applauding  young people performing at Jazz Events

 

As someone who has worked in jazz education for over 40 years, I always LOVE to see young people who are serious about playing jazz music from any of the many genres and time periods of the music.  I also enjoy seeing young people who - while still keeping with the spirit of jazz music (read no pop or rap overtones) are creating their own style and feeling.

With that in mind, I hope the people in San Diego have opened their minds a little over the years.  When I was playing on that circuit, they were so mired in "trad" music that their minds were not open at all.  Many of them and the bands they hired never got out of the 20's and early 30's and way too many performances were mere re-creations of old recordings by many of the bands.  I even heard bands where the solo sections were played the same way everytime.  

I have aways contended that the musicians who were playing back in the 20's were the AVANT GARDE musicians of their time.  They were constantly playing new things that had never been done before.

My Great American Jazz Band - starting around 30 years ago, played the traditional repertoire, but with a more modern flavor and more modern solos.  (But definitely not be-bop.)  The guys in my band use to have a favorite saying that they knew how well the band was swinging by how many white haired people were running for the exits in the first tune.

I remember one year - when we were sponsored by our namesake - Great American Federal Savings - who were also major sponsors of the San Diego Festival, the festival producers were not very happy about our performing.  So - we were relegated to one ballroom (the one that Great American Federal was sponsoring) for every set.  I will tell you that the ballroom was packed everytime we performed, so it must have meant that at least some of the audience liked a "fresh" approach to the music.

Mike Vax
Friends of Big Band Jazz, Prescott Jazz Summit, 
Stan Kenton Alumni Band
www.mikevax.net
www.bigbandjazz.net
www.prescottjazz.com
www.getzen.com