Post 381: MEYER THE HATTER

When I was about 50 years old and visiting New Orleans for the first time, I was told by local musicians that Meyer's Hat Shop at 120 Saint Charles Avenue was the place where all the jazz men bought their hats - especially this type, as needed for brass band parades. Apparently the store had been there since 1894 and was considered the biggest hat shop in the Southern States of the USA.

At the time, I was trying to learn to play jazz trumpet and I (foolishly?) couldn't resist going to the shop and buying this hat in the photo above. I would probably have very little use for it back in England, but it would be a great souvenir and an emblem of the music I wanted to play.

Thirty years later, in April 2016, when I found myself in New Orleans again, I stepped one day into Saint Charles Avenue - and there was the shop, still in business, and still selling hats identical to mine! You can see the hat in the foreground of this first picture.

What an amazing shop it is!

Over the years, I have enjoyed owning the hat but it has been stored away and hardly ever used. However, I took it out occasionally for playing at jazz funerals. This picture was taken at one.

Yes, though you may be surprised to hear it, we do on very rare occasions have jazz funerals in England. They are of course inspired by the band-accompanied funerals in New Orleans. Usually they are funerals of jazz fans who have left instructions with their families that this is what they want.

Meanwhile, in New Orleans itself during April 2016, I of course saw dozens of musicians wearing these hats for the more formal gigs.

Here's the lovely and wonderful trombone player Haruka Kikuchi, properly dressed for the concert given by The Audacity Brass Band, in which she was about to play at The French Quarter Festival.

Post 296: OUR MUSIC IS CHAMBER MUSIC?

I have been interested for more than thirty years in the presentation of acoustic performances by small music groups. I listen to and play in traditional jazz bands and I also attend chamber music concerts (especially those given by string quartets). So I am offering the following questions and my personal answers to them as food for thought.

What do chamber musicians and jazz musicians have in common?

They play one to a part and their music is not popular with the masses. Playing a type of music that does not attract large audiences, they do not make a fortune.

Why do we choose to be ‘unpopular’?

We take pride in being miniaturists. We like hearing music played acoustically. It is easier to appreciate details. The noise level is bearable. There are delicate textures. We better appreciate the drama of the music’s dialogue. The individual players - playing just one to a part - are more free to express themselves.

Does such a group need a leader?

Do not be too democratic. It is helpful to have a leader (or to take turns at being leader). It may help to have two leaders – one who manages bookings and one who 'directs the traffic' of the music.

Do we need to get on well together socially in order to make good music?

It helps, but is not essential. Musicians who do not get on well socially sometimes make wonderful music together. Conversely, musicians who get on well sometimes make a poor job of performing. 

How can we give a decent performance if we are just starting out and some of our players are inexperienced?

Choose repertoire within your capabilities. Then, however limited the players' abilities, aim to make the whole greater than the sum of the parts. This means not just playing the notes; it means concentrating on teamwork and interpretation.

Can we get away with practising alone, or should we often rehearse as a group?

Group rehearsals are essential for chamber music; and many jazz groups would be more worth listening to if they rehearsed together more often.

How can we ensure that practice brings improvement?

Do not use much time playing pieces you already know well. Seek new challenges; and focus on the mental as well as the physical. 

How do we get bookings?

The following methods may help - but not much: the Internet, Leaflets, Small Ads. Agents may be helpful but should be treated with caution. Being seen and heard (for example, busking in the street) is the best form of advertising: one performance leads to another. Next best is word-of-mouth. 

How should we dress when giving a concert?

For most venues, a group should look good and adopt a unifying style, even if this means some formality. Individuals have to forego personal preferences for the good of the group.

How can we win over our audience?

It is essential to keep in your mind that your listeners are giving you two hours of their precious time. So you owe it to them to communicate well. Look involved and interested. Smile. Speak to them: they love information. Your programme should be balanced and should match the needs of the audience. Don't be too esoteric and don't risk a built-in fidget ingredient. Welcome feedback and learn from it.

If we develop a good programme, can we be sure it will always work?

Don’t be surprised when you discover that no two audiences are the same. Every audience acquires its own collective mood. A piece of music that is received enthusiastically by one audience may fail completely with another. Also, you must never take seriously anyone's promise that all the seats will be sold!

Should we use microphones and amplification systems?

Wherever possible, play acoustically. Instruments carry surprisingly well, even in large halls.

Will a piece of music become stale if we play it often?

Staleness may set in eventually, but not for a very long time; and during that time, you play the piece better and better. Do not complain when asked to play a piece you have played a hundred times before. You must please the paying public. 

How should we relate to the people who help put on our concerts?

Support in every way the entrepreneurs, promoters and sponsors who give you opportunities to play, who publicize events and attract the audience. They rarely have much cash to play with.

Will the piano be in tune?

Expect pianos to be unsatisfactory even if they have allegedly been tuned recently. Regrettably, it is best to have your electronic keyboard in the car.

Should we make a CD?

If it gives you pleasure, fine; but you are unlikely to recoup the cost. Also, recording will highlight mechanical noises, coughs, unwanted resonances and especially errors; and a good balance will be hard to achieve. So think twice before making a CD. ‘Demo’ recordings should not be necessary and are unlikely to pay for themselves.

How should we arrange the performers at a public performance?

If you have enough space and not too many players, go for an ‘arc’. A well-known jazz musician friend of mine wrote this after first trying this arrangement: ‘The difference when playing in a semi-circle was amazing. I could hear every instrument, and see everyone. More importantly, I could see all signals. I feel that, where possible, it is a good formation for a 4/5 piece band. Also, the audience can see everyone too!’

Post 291: JAZZ FUNERALS

Everyone knows about the great jazz funerals in New Orleans. Bands of ten or so players make wonderful music on the way to the internment and again (happier music) after the burial.

I'm pleased to say the custom has caught on in a small way in England. I have been to half a dozen jazz funerals (sadly, mostly of jazz musicians) in the last ten years.

I had the privilege of playing at the funeral of a friend myself. Four of us made up this little band. There certainly weren't enough to do the job properly, but we did our best, playing the traditional tunes, such as 'Just a Closer Walk With Thee' and 'When the Saints Go Marching In'. And we tried to look the part. I wore my authentic hat, bought from Meyer in New Orleans.

Post 269: POLICIES AND STYLES FOR TRADITIONAL JAZZ

Art Work by my friend Peter Bunney
www.peterbunney.com

Is it better to have a small repertoire and to play all the tunes really well or to aim at a wider, more adventurous and more risky repertoire? What makes the range of jazz bands so appealing is that every band has its own policy on repertoire and style of presentation. 

For example, where I live, I get to hear five local bands and there are big differences in their policies and styles. Let me tell you about them.

BAND A

This long-established six-piece band has a wide repertoire. It plays many 'easy' standards but it also likes to include rags and classics from the early 1900s, and Jelly Roll Morton and Sam Morgan numbers. So some of its tunes are complex and require all the musicians to know the structure, with the various strains and key changes. The players dress in casual clothes. Typically, you can catch the band playing, for example, Hiawatha Rag, Blame It On The Blues, Ory's Creole Trombone and Big House Blues. The musicians get together to rehearse - but only three or four times a year, as they are scattered over a wide area. The band attracts a fair number of gigs, including some at jazz clubs.

BAND B

This six-piece band (sometimes five-piece) keeps the repertoire simple. The players wear black shirts but no ties. It specialises in easy numbers - mainly using basic chord progressions, pulsating 12-bars and tunes such as Make Me a Pallet on the Floor, C Jam Blues, Don't Go Away Nobody, Georgia Grind and Redwing. It has a rocking rhythm section including a powerful four-to-the-bar young string-bass player. There is much use of simple riffs by the front line. The music is often entirely improvised - the leader suggesting a theme for a 12-bar - and away they go. The band attracts very few gigs (perhaps it should market itself better), but audiences love it. Feet tap, people dance and nobody goes to sleep while this band is playing. From the musician's point of view, the music is not much of a challenge, but they make people feel they've had a good night out.

BAND C

This Band always dresses smartly: DJs and bow ties. For public performances the band (five-piece and sometimes only four-piece) always picks its playlist from the same forty 'simple' songs, such as Bill Bailey and All of Me. It's easy for the musicians: they know the tunes so well that they play on automatic pilot. You can count on them always to play When You're Smiling, Five Foot Two, Doctor Jazz, Down By The Riverside - in the most familiar keys. You don't hear them play anything fresh or complex. I bet the playing has become stale for the musicians. But the band is marketed well and gets some of its bookings through an agent and probably attracts more private gigs than the others. Maybe that proves something. 

BAND D

This six-piece band (with a regular monthly pub gig but not much else) never has a rehearsal and never prepares a playlist. It dresses casually. It offers a mixture of jazz standards and ballads (sung usually by the trombonist - a decent singer), mostly in the conventional keys. It's the kind of band that might play Indiana, St. Louis Blues and Fly Me To The Moon but never Chrysanthemum Rag or Kinklets. It's a typical English pub jazz band - experienced elderly musicians making reasonably good music but not getting many gigs and certainly not making any money!

BAND E

This band is distinctive in that it has a very talented lady singer as well as five accomplished instrumentalists. The band dresses smartly, in white shirts and bow ties. The leader seeks out music that is harmonically challenging and more interesting than run-of-the-mill traditional jazz tunes. Of course, the band nevertheless plays a few simple jazz standards (certainly no multi-theme pieces) but mostly it backs the singer - often in sophisticated songs with rich harmonic progressions and in 'awkward' keys - to suit her. You find them performing Blues in the Night or Black Coffee or Every Time We Say Goodbye or What a Difference a Day Made. It's hard work for the instrumentalists but more rewarding than playing on automatic pilot. I believe this band does not have many gigs but it is usually well appreciated.

I could try to draw conclusions from all this but I think you can draw them easily enough for yourself. Repertoire, costume, marketing, style of playing and of presentation: all bands have to make their own choices.

Post 248: THOSE SCRUFFY MUSICIANS OF NEW ORLEANS!

Tuba Skinny: Scruffy? Unprofessional?

In recent months, a few elderly musicians have complained about the 'scruffiness' of the young bands who currently busk so brilliantly on the streets of New Orleans.

There was even a minor debate on this topic in the English 'JAZZNORTHWEST' web-site, sparked off by a comment from Louis Lince, the great banjo-player, bandleader and former jazz magazine publisher. He said: '...if Tuba Skinny want to play concerts in the UK they will have to smarten themselves up. Dirty jeans/cut-offs, tennis shoes and t-shirts are NOT the way to go.' I smiled when I read this, as I thought Louis was making a good ironic joke - deliberately mimicking a long-retired colonel living in Kent - the kind of man who used to write to the newspapers under the pseudonym 'Disgusted, Tunbridge Wells'. But I later came to realise he meant what he said.

And this week a correspondent (who says he is a 'huge fan' of Tuba Skinny) wrote to tell me he wishes the band would 'become more professional'. He says 'I wish they would smile more, dress better and look like they are having fun'. He goes on to name particular members of the band, saying they look bored and that one appears to be in dirty clothes.

He asked me to give my opinion. Well, here it is.

I must warn you first that - sadly - at the time of writing this article I have never personally seen Tuba Skinny. So I'm not well placed to judge. But I have spent many hours watching them on dozens of YouTube videos.

I am a very old Englishman and I grew up amidst the British conventions of the 1940s. Those conventions were still influenced by Victorian and Edwardian manners and by military discipline, because our school-teachers and fathers and grandfathers - our rôle models - had fought in the First or the Second World War.

So in my working life, I was required to wear a clean shirt, a smart suit and a tie every day - even in the hottest weather. (I did not enjoy doing so.)

If I had turned up for work with a tattoo or with a ring through my nose, I would have been summoned to the boss's office and sacked.

So you can see that the culture from which I come is alien to that of the young jazz musicians on the streets of New Orleans. But what they and I have in common is a love of traditional jazz and a desire to play it as well as we can.

I feel envy and admiration for the courage and determination of those young people who (in some cases after a good college education) have thrown up the chance of becoming bankers or business executives or lawyers or accountants in order to busk on the streets. I suspect some of their critics are unconsciously envious of them too. While honing their music-making skills, they barely make enough to pay the rent; they have to buy their clothes from charity shops (what the Americans call 'thrift shops'), and make do with old bicycles for transport.

I can understand audiences being disappointed because some of these young musicians do not always look cheerful. But when you are playing session after session in 80 degrees to 90 degrees Fahrenheit (26 degrees to 32 degrees Celsius) - sometimes till 3am as at The Spotted Cat - and repeatedly playing the same tunes, it is difficult to appear always fresh and cheerful. Sometimes you will look weary. What makes it harder is that you are constantly pestered by tourists wanting to 'sit in' or to be photographed with you or keen to tell their friends they talked to you.

By the way, I have frequently seen Shaye smile in videos. I think it's only because she is such a thinker and because she concentrates so hard on what is going on that she sometimes gives the impression of looking too serious.

I don't object to their casual laid-back approach to life. As far as I can tell from the many videos, they keep as clean as is possible in the hot, humid and sometimes dusty conditions. Their dress for busking is appropriate to the weather and the environment. At commercial gigs it is 'smart casual' and that's fine with me.

[Edited note - added several months later: I have now seen the band on the streets of New Orleans. I stand by all I have written. They are clean and smart, wearing sensible casual clothes that are just right for the hot climate and the music scene in which they participate.]

On tour, they typically attract audiences of 500 happy, excited, mainly young people. How many of our bands dressed in jackets and ties could do that?

Thank goodness we all agree the music they produce is - as my correspondent said - 'fabulous'.
--------------
Footnote: I have received many emails in response to this post. Nobody so far has agreed with the view that Tuba Skinny are 'scruffy'.

Here is a selection. First from Fred Burnett who runs the JAZZNORTHWEST web-site:

Hi Ivan,

In case you hadn’t seen it, there’s a  whole debate on this subject on my site which started back in July 2012 and the last entry being towards the end of April this year.

I appreciate though that Tuba Skinny first got cited as an example by Louis this year after Norman Gibson resurrected the subject.

http://www.jazznorthwest.co.uk/scruffy.htm

Fred

From an Englishman who visited New Orleans in April:

Morning Ivan

Totally agree with your comments. The band members might appear to be bored and uninterested but they all take their work seriously. Off duty they are chatty, charming and great fun. We had long chats with most of the band and they were happy to share their thoughts on their music and their fans. When I told Shaye that she had inspired me to start playing cornet again after 20 years she was genuinely chuffed. Bill

Here's another email from England:

Hi Ivan

I want to say how much I agree with your view of Tuba Skinny. The dissenting voices come from that club that does so much to kill off accessible jazz: the old man's club playing old man's music. The accent is on 'man'.

There are two women in Tuba Skinny. Not girls, not ladies. Women.

If it's image you're after then get a band full of shop window dummies.

The future of acoustic swing has been passed to another generation. 

Long live the music of the future.

Alan

And another:

Hello Ivan,

I must say I agree with your every word about Tuba Skinny's dress.  Contrary to the quoted comment, casual clothes are not necessarily dirty or scruffy!

Tuba Skinny is a street band and I don't see any problem if they choose to appear in more formal settings dressed like a street band.  I'm just trying to imagine Metallica performing in grey lounge suits.

After the hottest two weeks of the year, I guess a lot of orchestral musicians would prefer T-shirts to white tie and tails!

Sam  

And one from a Dutch reader:

Dear Ivan,

Also I find this band: fabulous

The band members should receive all our respect: I feel some shame that this discussion is raised here in Europe.

Tell those elderly musicians, that they better should write a letter to Obama, that this band should receive a subsidy or prize for safeguarding this jazz heritage.

Rgs, Jan

Post 225: GET THE RIGHT HAT!

If you are a serious fan of New Orleans jazz, or aspire to play it - you really must obtain the appropriate headgear.

So I returned from my 2015 trip to New Orleans with four caps.

Of course, there are many more available in that city. I particularly liked those commemorating places where jazz is played. But I bought just four; a chap can use only so many.

First (on the left) we have the simple 'New Orleans' cap, made by Bol (in China!). It is comfortable, robust and available in various colour combinations. Next comes the jazz-specific blue cap (also available in other colours, such as grey - very appealing). It mentions the French Quarter and manages to get a discreet 'Jazz', with a saxophone representing the 'J', on the peak. I am very fond of this one, which is 100% cotton and made in China by Sun Products. I am currently wearing it daily here in Nottingham.

Finally come two very special caps. The Dew Drop cap commemorates the amazing historic Dew Drop Hall, about which I wrote in a blog post. You can read the post if you  CLICK HERE.

The Dew Drop Hall

I chose the light-coloured cap but there were other options. This 100% cotton cap was manufactured in Bangladesh by the company Port Authority.

Finally, having spent so much time at the great jazz bar The Spotted Cat in Frenchmen Street, I could not resist their special distinctive black souvenir cap.

The Spotted Cat

This is also 100% cotton and was made in China by Port and Company. You can watch a video of a great performance I witnessed of The Shotgun Jazz Band playing 'Royal Garden Blues' at The Spotted Cat by clicking on here.

All four caps are comfortable and have adjuster straps at the back. Their peaks - especially that on the blue 'French Quarter' cap - are effective in giving the eyes some protection from the sun.

And here's a collection of caps brought back from the French Quarter Festival in 2017 by my friend Peter, who lives in London.

It goes without saying that, if you wear a New Orleans cap, your appreciation of the music will be enhanced; and musicians wearing the caps will find their playing rapidly improves.

Post 55: A VIDEO TO CHALLENGE ASSUMPTIONS

Here are ten assumptions.

1. A traditional jazz band can not function properly if it has more than eight musicians. WRONG.

2. You won't find a traditional jazz band with three young ladies among its musicians. WRONG.

3. You should never have a saxophone in a traditional jazz band. WRONG.

4. The violin is NOT an instrument to be played in a traditional jazz band. WRONG.

5. The only places for a traditional jazz band to be enjoyed are a club and a concert hall - NOT the street. WRONG.

6. The world of traditional jazz is full of very old people, so traditional jazz is dying out. WRONG.

7. Young players of traditional jazz? It would be hard to find many. WRONG.

8. All members of a band should wear a matching, smart uniform.  WRONG.

9. Traditional jazz should be taken very seriously. WRONG.

10. You should never have a clarinet AND a saxophone together in a band. WRONG.

That indefatigable video-maker codenamed RaoulDuke504 - for whom we should all be eternally grateful - has put up another video on YouTube. It illustrates all the above. I hope you will share my enjoyment. By the way, the lady singer - I am told (thanks, John Whitehorn!) - was Tamar Korn from New York. You can find her elsewhere on YouTube. I guess she happened to be passing by. She joined in with the band just for this one song:

Click here to view it.