Post 459: JAZZ - BUSKING IN THE STREETS = 'STREET JAZZ'?

In 2016, I noticed the expression 'street jazz' being used with increasing frequency. Perhaps you have too? But what is this 'street jazz'? Some kind of new genre?

Photo : Guy Hardy

No. I think what has happened is that many good traditional jazz bands now play in the streets, with the result that more and more passers-by are amazed at what they hear and - not understanding that our music has a 120-year-old history - have given it the handy new name of 'street jazz'.

An email I received said: 'Can you help, please? We are trying to find a street jazz band to play at our wedding reception.' 

And the great Baby Soda Jazz Band in New York on its website introduces itself as follows: Baby Soda is on the forefront of a new movement loosely known as street jazz, with an eclectic set of influences ranging from 30s era swing, New Orleans jazz, and southern gospel. The ensemble doesn't desire to recreate the past; rather, they bring the concept and joy of the music to the present.

If you look up 'street jazz' on the Internet, you find the expression has caught on in dancing circles too. This is not surprising, even though it appears that the dancing classes use a variety of rhythmic 'funky' music - not exclusively traditional jazz.

But it really is pleasing that a younger generation is beginning to discover and enjoy our music on the streets. As regular readers will know, I strongly recommend that our bands should do some Outreach Work by playing at convenient places in their town centres. They can attract bookings that way too.

Post 436: YOUR LOCAL BAND NEEDS YOU!

The world of traditional jazz desperately needs more musicians - especially young ones. I have written on this subject before (about three years ago) and hundreds of people read the article, so it seems to be a topic worth considering again.

Would you consider playing in a traditional jazz band? How should you go about it?

You must start by reaching a reasonable level of technical proficiency on your chosen instrument. If you are a complete beginner, you will need lessons to get you started, mainly to set you up with good habits. I would recommend finding a qualified professional music teacher rather than someone who happens to play traditional jazz. (Players do not necessarily make good teachers.) Make sure you learn about scales, keys, chords and arpeggios and it will help if you learn to read music, at least at a basic level. After that, practice will be your main pursuit.

If you are already a competent musician, it does not follow that you will move easily into traditional jazz. Good piano soloists sometimes find it hard to adapt to their rôle in a band. Teamwork is the key to success in traditional jazz and players of the piano, guitar and banjo have to accept that for most of the time their job is simply to lay down the correct chords, firmly and clearly, rather than display virtuoso skills.

The one exception may be highly-skilled double bass players. If they are willing to adjust to the style and hardly use the bow at all, they can contribute extremely well with nothing more to guide them than the band's chord book. I remember how, during the 1950s, there were some double bass players, members of the symphony orchestras based in London, who would finish a concert with their orchestra and then head to a jazz club where they would join a traditional jazz jam session. It was easy enough for them to jump from Handel to Handy and from Mozart to Morton.

Becoming good enough to perform traditional jazz in public doesn't mean passing lots of exams. But be warned: it can take hundreds of hours of hard work in the woodshed.

You should start early on learning some tunes from the traditional jazz repertoire - easy ones to begin with. Laissez Les Bons Temps Rouler is a particularly good and easy one as it is fun but uses very few notes and virtually only two alternating chords.

Soon you could try Algiers Strut, Tin Roof Blues, When The Saints Go Marching In, Careless Love, Down By The Riverside, and Lily of the Valley.

There are plenty of sources of printed music, such as busker's books. But an excellent site you should consult is Lasse Collin's, where there's enough to keep you going for years: CLICK HERE TO VIEW.

And here's an important tip: when you first learn a tune, make sure you learn it accurately. If you get into a habit of playing a phrase or a sequence of chords wrongly, it is very hard to unlearn them later, after the tune has become embedded in your brain and fingers.

Develop an understanding of and fluency in different keys. Those most commonly (but by no means exclusively) needed in traditional jazz are Bb, Eb and F. Next most common are Ab and C.

Listen to lots of traditional jazz - especially noting the part played by your chosen instrument - to get a feel for what is required. Use the wonderful resource of YouTube. When you are ready, try playing some tunes along with bands on YouTube. That's almost as good as 'sitting in'.

A similar idea is to play along with backing tracks. Some of these are also freely available on YouTube. This will give you a great chance to assess your progress because, if you are confident and not discordant with a backing track, the chances are you will fit in with a jazz band.

Link up with other musicians. Maybe you can form a band in your town, starting with a nucleus as a trio or quartet. Meet regularly in one of your houses to rehearse and expand your repertoire.

How do you find these musicians? Put the word around among all your friends and acquaintances. Chat in the local music shop. Advertise in the local newspaper. See whether anybody in a social group is interested (e.g. in England, the U3A). There may be a regional website on which you can seek (free of charge) other musicians.

Listen to live traditional jazz bands and talk to the musicians: they are very good sources of information about both learners and established players in the area and may be able to put you in touch with people who could join your group.

For information on which bands are playing where, there is probably a regular publication you can consult. For example, here in England we have the monthly Jazz Guide - available in clubs and from bands and also by post if you pay the very reasonable subscription (payments by PayPal are accepted). You should be able to see a sample page and full information by clicking HERE.

And specifically for the North-West of England, a gentleman called Fred Burnett altruistically runs a website giving full bulletins concerning jazz in his region: click here.

When you feel ready, begin to practise more challenging and more complex tunes: there are hundreds in the repertoire.

Unless you are a born genius, you will need to learn the standard chords and also practise improvising your way though common chord progressions. In particular, work on the Circle of Fifths and The Sunshine Sequence and the basic 12-bar Blues Sequence as these will be useful in hundreds of jazz tunes. If you don't know what I mean, look at the blog posts in which I have written about them.

Are you worried about improvising? Watch Charlie Porter's excellent videos. For an example CLICK HERE.

When your group is good enough at fifteen or so tunes, start playing gigs! You can give your band a name and offer yourselves for free to a local pub or residential home and get your band officially launched.

Also, when you have built up confidence by playing along with YouTube, ask whether you may sit in for a couple of tunes with an existing band. Most bands are so keen to keep the music alive that they readily give opportunities to anyone who shares that mission.

Make sure you give your telephone number and email address to everyone who may be able to help you in the future - especially band-leaders. It may be worth having some business cards printed.

Band-leaders and agents keep lists of musicians within a radius of seventy miles. You never know when you may receive a call to deputise for a musician who is ill or on holiday.

Eventually you may succeed in obtaining a place in a reputable well-established band. There is a rapid turn-over of personnel and a need for new blood, especially these days when many elderly musicians are hanging up their trumpets and clarinets.

Most of today's traditional jazz musicians have gone through the stages I have described above, except that in their day they did not have the enormous benefit of YouTube and such sites as Lasse Collin's to help with learning and training. In years gone by, players had to listen to records and later to cassettes in order to pick up tunes by ear and learn from the masters.

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 47: SUPPORT YOUR BAND-LEADER!

It is hard to understand why anybody would want to be a leader or manager of a traditional jazz band. I can think of eleven tricky and demanding things they have to do, usually for a negligible financial reward. They must:

1. recruit a team of good musicians who can be relied upon both to play and behave well and also to turn up punctually for gigs.

2. have considerable man-management skills, both in dealings with customers and with members of the band.

3. spend time and money on publicity, advertising and band promotion.

4. seek and chase after all possible offers of gigs.

5. negotiate terms with bookers.

6. cajole musicians into attending rehearsals; and cajole musicians into playing some gigs for almost nothing or for just one free drink.

7. communicate well, so that all the musicians know exactly where and when the gigs will take place.

8. decide on and establish policies for such things as band costume and repertoire.

9. devise play-lists for performances.

10. write out chord charts or music for musicians who may need them.

11. handle the finances of the band, and obtain the agreed fee from the booker (not always easy) and pay the musicians.

On top of all this, it helps if the leader has a strong and pleasant personality and can use this in communicating with audiences.

Despite all these demands, there are - thank goodness - plenty of people who have set themselves up as band-leaders and obviously enjoy the work.

The point I want to make today is this. I think we should all give strong support to our band-leaders. Respect them for all the hard work they do to keep the music alive.

On very rare occasions, I have heard of a musician criticising or arguing with his leader. In my opinion, this is a mean thing to do.

If a musician would prefer to do things differently, he should try setting up his own band; then he would discover how hard it is to be a Leader.

Post 11: TRADITIONAL JAZZ MUSICIANS IN NEW ORLEANS, 2015

While I was in New Orleans in April 2015, I had the privilege of conversations with several of the musicians I had previously seen and admired only on YouTube.

I also listened to several of the great bands playing in the bars and clubs (such as The Spotted Cat and The DBA and The Maison) and to dozens of street musicians (buskers, as we say in England).

It was a special thrill to chat with them wherever possible. Some - under pressure from their adoring public - could spare me only a few moments; but with others I managed to have quite long conversations, from which I learned a great deal about how they practise, rehearse and manage their lives.

They tend to live in rented shotgun houses just outside the French Quarter. Some of them are near enough to walk to work. But many use bicycles, often fitted with trailers, to take themselves and their kit to the spot where they will play.

They work long and hard - even on a birthday! For an illustration of this, look at this Facebook entry by guitarist Shine Delphi:
Thank y'all for the birthday love. If you're in New Orleans come give me a hug. I'll be busking with Yes Ma'am  11 - 2, then Goorin Bros hat shop 3 - 5 and I'll finish the evening over at Buffa's 11 - 1.

You sometimes pass a band playing for tips at a certain spot and then - when you return five hours later - you find they are still there and still playing. What stamina they have! Here's the famous Doreen Ketchens, for example, playing a very long session in Royal Street.

Musical standards are so high. For example, I noticed street musicians have no problem playing terrific improvised 32-bar solo choruses even when they have a singer who chooses to sing in an 'awkward' key. Pretty well any of the musicians busking on Royal Street would be instant stars on the jazz scene here in England. But in England they would not make a living, whereas in New Orleans the tips from tourists give them just enough to live on.

There are now so many street musicians in New Orleans that competition for attention and for tips has become a problem. In Royal Street (the main location for buskers), you may be brilliantly singing songs accompanied by your own guitar, but there will be a five-piece band only 100 yards to your right and a solo classical violinist 100 yards to your left. So it's not easy to hold the attention of passers-by.

In addition, the streets are full of other 'entertainers' - the human statues, tap-dancers, the man who types instant poetry, the sword swallower, the magician, the exhibitionists (often vulgar) who expect tips just for posing in outrageous costumes, and so on.

I was told independently by two musicians (so it is surely true) that, if you want to play in a prime spot from 11a.m. (when music is allowed), you need some member of your band to man that position from 11p.m. the night before. All through the night, someone must be on the spot to hold it. Sometimes members of a band do this in 'shifts', with one arriving at 2a.m. to relieve the musician on duty since 11 p.m., and so on. How can they be fit to play after such a night? It's tough; and for this reason some who are now being offered decent gigs in the bars have decided not to play on the streets any more.

Of course there are other spots (such as on the Walk along the north bank of the Mississippi) where you could set up and play, but far fewer people pass by there.

When you talk to the musicians, it's not easy to get some of them to be serious on the subject of their talents. They constantly joke and belittle themselves.

But some of the musicians, notably Tommy Sancton, Ben Polcer, Charlie Halloran and John Dixon, were happy to chat about the technicalities of the music. What impressed me was how seriously they take it and how hard they work and practise. Often they will do two gigs (sometimes three) in a day - gigs of three hours or four hours each. On rare days when there is no gig, they still insist on the need to practise for a couple of hours. As one musician said, 'It's like being an iceberg. The public sees the little bit above the water; but there's a huge amount of hard work that goes on underneath the surface'.

I asked how important it was for trumpet, clarinet and trombone players to know the chord progression of a particular tune. To my surprise, they all considered it essential. Of course, they pointed out that - when you have played a tune many times - the chord sequence is 'in your fingers' and instinctive, so you no longer consciously think of it; but you must learn it in the first place. For an example that shows how thoroughly a trombone player knows his chord sequence, look at Barnabus Jones from twenty seconds into this video, where he is calling out the chord sequence of Dallas Rag for the benefit of other players: CLICK HERE.

Did they reach a point at which they had no need to learn any more tunes? Definitely not. The joy of mastering new tunes goes on and on. Ben Polcer - who as a young music graduate was among the first to migrate to New Orleans - is a brilliant player of both the piano and the trumpet. He has been one of the most important influential figures on the New Orleans scene since Hurricane Katrina. Yet he is still learning new tunes. He told me he can usually pick up a tune of the more 'straightforward' kind after hearing it a couple of times, especially as he will usually recognise familiar chord sequences within it. I had great pleasure hearing Ben play both instruments during my visit. You can watch his piano playing at close quarters if you click on this video of 'I Can't Escape'. And - with the same band - you can see him playing trumpet on 'The Original Dixieland One-Step' by clicking here.

One of the most exciting musicians on the current New Orleans scene is Aurora Nealand, who plays in various contrasting styles with different bands, some of which she leads.

Typical of the sort of thing Aurora does was this: her band started to play Dans Les Rues d'Antibes with its usual brisk up-tempo Introduction. Then they suddenly stopped and switched to a weird almost dirge-like bit of (what seemed to me ) free-style jazz. It was fun and went on for about a minute. Then they bounced back into Dans Les Rues and performed it in the conventional way, with some sensationally good solo choruses. Playful treatments such as that seem to be something Aurora is very keen to experiment with.

Aurora - like many of the musicians there - went to New Orleans intending to stay for about six months, mainly working at composing. But the culture soon got into her blood. Inspired by The Preservation Hall Band in her childhood, she had always loved traditional jazz. So she started to study it more deeply and soon found herself constantly playing on the streets - with various bands.

She is now one of the most brilliant and versatile reed players and band-leaders in the world. Aurora told me there is something very special about playing with bands in New Orleans. She said the technical standard of traditional jazz musicians in New York is extremely high; and yet compared with New York (where incidentally some of the New Orleans musicians spend a month or two in the summer), she found there was something more 'relaxed' and less cerebral about the music in New Orleans. This quality is hard to define; but it's there all right.