[Dixielandjazz] Preservation hall Jazz Band

[Gary Lawrence Murphy]

Don't misunderstand me Bob: "pleasing" the audience is not the same as
"playing" the audience.  To play the audience, you have to take them
somewhere they didn't think they could go.  I have long ago tired of
the trained seal sorts of pyrotechnical 'artists' who play blazingly
for themselves and their peers, but bore the audience to tears, and
that is, in my books, a complete musical failure.  Louis Armstrong,
one the other hand, could astound his brass-player peers AND play the
audience.  We're not talking about Achy Breaky Heart here, we're
talking about voodoo ;)

On 6/15/13, Robert Ringwald <rsr at ringwald.com> wrote:
> Regarding the IA concert of the Preservation Hall Jazz Band, Gary Lawrence
> Murphy writes:
>
>
>
> the kids watched the concert last night and greatly enjoyed the whole
> show, were suitably impressed by the musicianship and especially with
> the audience rapport -- in the final analysis, there is only *one*
> instrument to master, the audience ;)
>
>
>
>
>
> Wrong. I am glad that watching the concert turned your kids on. But, at the
> same time, I am sad that they have to be exposed to bad musicianship in
> order to get turned on.
>
>
>
> Thinking that your audience is all that matters makes me think of listening
> to a youth band who’s trumpet player who jumps around a lot, plays wrong
> notes, but knows if he goes for high notes, it will extract applause from
> the audience. And youth  bands are not the only offenders. I’ve seen adult
> amateur bands do the same thing.
>
>
>
> At least when a pro plays high notes to excite the audience, he is playing
> the correct notes and knows what he is doing.
>
>
>
> It always amazes me when I hear a recording of the Hot 5 Band from 1927, the
> Benny Goodman band from 1938, the Glen Miller Army Air Force Band from 1943
> or Frank Sinatra singing in 1946 and realize that the young people were
> going nuts over those bands – Quality bands with pro musicians playing good
> music.
>
>
>
> Now a days, if a bad guitar player who can barely play 3-chords turns up his
> amp, puts a distortion box on it and plays crap, the kids go wild. What a
> shame…
>
>
>
> Again, I am glad that your kids did get turned on to OKOM by watching and
> listening to the PHJB concert. I just hope they don’t then think that all
> they have to do to become a professional musician is play bad notes loudly,
> and look as if they are having fun.
>
>
>
> The dumbing down of Jazz, America’s original art form, and yes, even Pop
> music is a crime.
>
>
>
>  -Bob Ringwald
>
>
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