Yeah, you have to gauge the audience for every gig, even if it is just the “once a month” at the local pub. Things can change, and if you find a tempo or beat that gets them dancing, run with it for a while! One of the older bands I play in would take a 3/4 song and then shift to 2/4 to “jazz it up.” I noticed that we were upsetting the dancers who really wanted an extended waltz. I finally managed to convince the leader to keep it in 3/4 for the whole song, the dancers loved it.<div><br></div><div>Also, familiarity is a good thing to think about. The average audience probably doesn’t want to hear the most obscure early Jazz tune ever recorded, they want the hits. If you are playing for a “sit down festival crowd” - that is the time to bring out the old odd ones! </div><div><br></div><div>I am not exactly an expert, only been playing Trad Tuba since the late 1970s, but I do watch the audience and dancers while I play ;-)</div><div><br></div><div>David Richoux<br><br>On Wednesday, February 20, 2019, <<a href="mailto:alevy@alevy.com">alevy@alevy.com</a>> wrote:<br><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex"><u></u>
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<div>My nickel's worth (inflation),</div>
<div>I played restaurants and clubs for about 30 years.</div>
<div>Mostly with a quartet consisting of Trpt., Sax, Piano</div>
<div>and drums. (That's Piano not Keyboard!)</div>
<div>What is more, there was a time I booked 3 or 4</div>
<div>bands for various locations,under my name, at the</div>
<div>same time using sub-leaders.</div>
<div> </div>
<div>None of the above means I know what I am doing</div>
<div>but here is what worked for me.</div>
<div> </div>
<div>I never used pre-conceived ideas for sets nor set</div>
<div>lists. Instead I would eyeball the audience. That was</div>
<div>for age groups, attention (are they eating or waiting)</div>
<div>etc. I had to get a feel for what would grab their attention</div>
<div>and get a reaction. If I saw tables with older people I</div>
<div>knew a nice slow ballad would make it happen.</div>
<div> </div>
<div>A short story. I worked with a big band in Houston. I was</div>
<div>called by a buddy on Long Island that the U. of H. was</div>
<div>looking for a "Mew York" style band (whatever that means)</div>
<div>for their New York Festival. I turned the phone number over</div>
<div>to the leader I was working with. (mistake number one)</div>
<div>The gig was on the Mexican border about 3 1/2 hours south</div>
<div>of Houston. (Oh well) 5 sax, 4 trpts, 4 bones, 4 rhythm +</div>
<div>three or four vocalists. I suggested he ask for $22,000.00.</div>
<div>Nope! he signed a contract for $100.00 per man + travel expenses </div>
<div>(another $100.00) and paid hotel. </div>
<div> </div>
<div><a href="http://O.K.it" target="_blank">O.K.it</a> would be an experience. I drove down with the drummer and</div>
<div>one of the singers. (we split the cost) and I found a great Oriental</div>
<div>buffet, half way to the gig. It was so good that we stopped there on </div>
<div>the way home also.</div>
<div> </div>
<div>The party planners booked two bands. Two stages. We set up on one</div>
<div>and the "authentic New York Latin group" set up across the way.</div>
<div>I learned that they were flown in at the school's expense, free
boarding</div>
<div>and $1,000.00 per man! They weren't even New Yorker's but I never
told.</div>
<div>They were warming up with a two chord mambo and I kinda joined them</div>
<div>from across the hall. My band leader, whom shall remain nameless,
almost</div>
<div>had a heart attack."Don't Do That!" I stopped. - The hall was empty,</div>
<div>just people setting up tables, some security and us.</div>
<div> </div>
<div>We set up stands, lights, audio, microphones, music books and left
for</div>
<div>dinner. - 3 hours prior to the affair.</div>
<div> </div>
<div>When the dinner party / dance began the leader called "The Lady In
Red".</div>
<div>He wanted to show the Latin group what we could do.</div>
<div>O.M.G. </div>
<div>I screamed "No!" Those guys will play modern day salsa with
electronic gear, lights,</div>
<div>special effects and more!. </div>
<div> </div>
<div>I played this dreary chart in high school, 1948.</div>
<div> </div>
<div>We played "The Lady In Red" with no calves, no maracas, no bongos, no
timbale!</div>
<div> Yikes!</div>
<div> </div>
<div>Through out the first set I pleaded "play a ballad". There were lots of
folks who</div>
<div>looked like alumni and perhaps we could get them to dance.</div>
<div>So, it was a disaster. He had to show me that he knew more of what to
do.</div>
<div> </div>
<div>Our second set. The ballroom is full of lively people. The decor is paper
machete </div>
<div>images of the Empire State Bldg., the Statue Of Liberty, a mock up of</div>
<div>Tines Square... on and on! He calls "Chicago" not the standard but from
the</div>
<div>Broadway show. Also - get ready with "All That Jazz"</div>
<div>From the piano bench: Nooooooooooooooooo!</div>
<div>Try "New York New York", you know, the sinatra tune.</div>
<div>Nothing doing. He refused. Our audience reacted with a large round of
indifference.</div>
<div>I gave up and just followed directions for the rest of the night.</div>
<div> </div>
<div>I know that best, I am a trouble maker.</div>
<div> </div>
<div>End of the night: about thirty couples at tables talking.</div>
<div>The other band left an hour earlier.</div>
<div> </div>
<div>Our guys were packing up.</div>
<div> </div>
<div>I didn't ask - I decided to play "Polka Dots And Moonbeams"</div>
<div>nice relaxed pace. Don't you know - I had people getting up</div>
<div>to dance. The bass player joined in, the drummer stopped</div>
<div>packing up and joined in, a tenor man asked "can I?" and</div>
<div>off we went into musician heaven.</div>
<div> </div>
<div>After "faking" a few more tunes, I like doing one or at most</div>
<div>two choruses and then segue, we were getting requests!</div>
<div> </div>
<div>End result: after "closing time" we played for an extra hour</div>
<div>taking requests and tips! </div>
<div> </div>
<div>That hour, for me, made the whole trip worth while.</div>
<div> </div>
<div>Back to the subject (in the subject heading).</div>
<div>The quartet I headed in the 50's and 60's was primarily a "show"
band.</div>
<div>We played two dance sets and two shows a night. The shows consisted</div>
<div>of an emcee, a comic, a singer, a dance team. a stripper and a female</div>
<div>impersonator. Many names acts broke in their new material with us.</div>
<div>The guys were good readers. We rehearsed the acts at a dinner table,</div>
<div>singing our parts, picking out the "difficult" parts. That meant key
changes,</div>
<div>tempo changes, endings, intros and on like that. We had five or more</div>
<div>acts, with three to five songs each - full rehearsal usually 15 to 30
minutes.</div>
<div> </div>
<div>Dance sets - at last:</div>
<div> My sax player claimed he couldn't fake tunes, he lied. </div>
<div>I was used to someone who could, so I started writing </div>
<div>charts in spiral books for the 4 instruments.</div>
<div> </div>
<div>So, now we could fake a tune or two and then, at the same tempo</div>
<div>turn to the "book" and sound more organized.</div>
<div> </div>
<div>I had arrangements in many tempos from ballads to peabodys,</div>
<div>show tunes to ragtine, t.v. themes to be-bop.</div>
<div> </div>
<div>After a while you learn the "grabbers" and I chose them at the end of the
set.</div>
<div>You know - like "The Saints Go Marching In" or What A Wonderful
World".</div>
<div>As a matter of fact i don't know if we ever played either of those, just
using</div>
<div>the titles for examples. </div>
<div> </div>
<div>I will tell you this, I know that the drummer and I sat all the time </div>
<div>and the other two could stand at will. I would only "stand" if</div>
<div>I decided to do A Jerry Lee or Little Richard impression.</div>
<div> </div>
<div>I am a "ham" so despite my lousy voice I would sing. When the spirit hit
me</div>
<div>I would do impressions of George Shearing, Erroll Garner, Frankie
Carle,</div>
<div>Ray Charles, Nat Cole, Matt Dennis and others.</div>
<div> </div>
<div>In conclusion (at last) Check your audience. Try to put yourself in
their</div>
<div>shoes. Then, please them and most importantly please yourself.</div>
<div> </div>
<div>P.S. I still have those combo charts and they still work. </div>
<div>Unfortunately,I don't.</div>
<div> </div>
<div>Cheers,<br>Al</div>
<div> </div></div>
</blockquote></div>