[Harp-L] Live performance: Jazz

["John F. Potts" <hvyj@xxxxxxx>]

Bill wrote:
It makes you think what's the matter with people, are they so  
conditioned by their sanitized jazz chill-out CDs and the ubiquitous  
Kind of Blue playing quietly in the background that when they hear  
raw BeBop played hard and fast it just freaks them out -wierd, if  
you'll excuse a quaint English expression, it's all just upside down  
and arse about face'.

and

Garry wrote:
ohhhhh...now i get it.  all those times i started playing and
everybody got up and left, i thought i was playing badly.
turns out i was just playing jazz.


You know, if it's not an audience of jazz fans, jazz is often not all  
that accessible or entertaining to many people.  I do not pretend to  
be a jazz player, but i get invited regularly to sit in with a couple  
of jazz bands who usually play what i call R&B style jazz when i get  
up to play with them, which is pretty accessible to most audiences  
and is (thankfully) something i can play competently.  But they more  
often play hard core traditional jazz material when I'm not up there  
playing with them.

Both bands use the same drummer who is a young black college student  
majoring in music.  He is  an excellent drummer who is more than   
competent playing several styles of music, He  gigs regularly with  
blues bands, R&B bands, and  funk bands  and can also play rock,  
fusion and reggae besides being able to play traditional jazz  
extremely well.  BUT, what he does that is very cool and very special  
when he plays traditional jazz is that he puts a lively foot tapping  
groove to it while maintaining a traditional jazz style.  i've never  
really heard anyone else do this.  it keeps the audience engaged  
while the band performs very hard core traditional jazz material and  
people who might otherwise be inclined to get bored and walk out  
don't because the groove is so entertaining.  It gives the hard core  
jazz material a "hook" that keeps the non-jazz fans interested in  
it.  But his playing somehow still maintains an identifiable  
traditional jazz style.

i really don't have a point I'm trying to make, and I'm certainly not  
qualified to critique a jazz performance.  But what this kid does  
never fails to keep the audience in their seats, buying drinks  
whether the band is playing Theolonius Monk, Charlie Parker, McCoy  
Tyner, Sonny Rollins or whatever.  And he's a sincerely nice guy. too.

FWIW,

JP