[Dixielandjazz] Jazz Standards & more

[Gary Lawrence Murphy]

some years ago I was at a club in Toronto where there were more people
on stage than in the audience, and it was a duo on stage. They were
very good and quite famous in their jug-band genres (Mose Scarlet and
Ken Whiteley) and they put on a great show for myself and the club
staff, but afterward the inevitable discussion, "Where was the *rest*
of the audience?" There wasn't even a cover charge.  Everyone had a
theory: popular show on tv, a sports event broadcast, exams, whatever.
We sat around and chatted for a while and I left to go catch my bus a
block away.

Along my way, as I approached the bus stop, there were young people
(college age) milling about on the sidewalk in one spot; as I got
closer I could see the crowd density increasing going down the nearby
stairs, and when I got close enough I could hear the music -- it was
an "acid jazz" trio, bass, drums and tenor, wailing a blistering
funk-rhythm free jazz ... and the club itself was packed so tight I
had to wiggle my way in to get close enough to see the band, and the
crowd was packed right up to the 'stage' which was nothing more than a
spot on the dancefloor.  The kids were dancing, you couldn't get near
the bar.

It reminded me of the photos I'd seen of the UK jazz clubs circa 1955.

so to answer all of Pat's questions, the answer is apparently a very
emphatic "yes"

On 10/15/14, Patrick Ladd <patrickjladd at hotmail.com> wrote:
>
> Surely this is part o the problem with avant garde stuff in all its
> variations. Does it in fact engage the audience, who we are paid to
> entertain, in the same way as our `jazz standards`?. Does a head nod in time
>
> to the music?. Does a foot tap?. Does the audience feel impelled (heaven
> forfend) to get up and dance?
> If some musicians want to play `modern jazz` ( a very loose grouping) it
> seems to me that it is only really interesting to someone with a fairly
> advanced musical knowledge/appreciation. In fact those who get most out of
> it are the players. Thats fine, Why should we not entertain ourselves, but
> is it really entertaining to the general audience.  No wonder we used to go
>
> out and beat up `dirty boppers` with their silly berets and  their little
> mustaches. (We didn`t really but it makes a good story)
>
> Pat
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Jim Kashishian
> Sent: Wednesday, October 15, 2014 9:48 AM
> To: Pat Ladd
> Cc: Dixieland Jazz Mailing List
> Subject: [Dixielandjazz] Jazz Standards & more
>
>
> Charlie wrote:
>>And after all that (speaking about a type of free jazz), it was great to
>> go
> home and hear a few tracks of the Bobcats or Sonny Rollins.
>
> I used to feel the same in during the whole year of 1992 when I worked on a
> project of 22 CD's of Contemporary music (editing/assembling/mastering).  I
> would go out at nights for my jazz gigs & feel "back at home".   :>
>
> Charlie also wrote:
>>The thing about such performances (and most avant garde jazz, to me) is
> that the enjoyment is strictly in being there when the living creative
> event
> is unfolding.
>
> But, that is what we all get during a performance of our own kind of music,
> is it not?  The interreaction between musicians in the ensemble and during
> solos (between the soloist & the rhythm section) is a living creation even
> if the song is based on a standard setup.  If that creativity is not kept
> alive in a band, then it becomes boring for both the band & the audience,
> and just becomes "another gig".
>
> Jim
>
>
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