Post 347: DO YOU CARE FOR DISCO MUSIC?

Which do you prefer: disco music or traditional jazz? Regular readers will know well where my preference lies.

Quite a few years ago, when I lived in Wisbech, I volunteered to help at a disco for teenagers in the Great Hall of the Isle College (just inside those windows in the photo above). The din from the stage, on which the operators and their battery of equipment were placed, was unbearable. After a while, I decided I could endure the evening only if I took up a position in the corridor outside. Even there, if I wanted to exchange a word with anyone, I had to shout and then struggle to make out the reply.

Occasionally teenagers would run out of the hall into the corridor for a while, screaming, shrieking and sweating.

At the end of it all, we adult volunteers were left with the clearing up, after which I was truly glad to go home. I would never do anything of the kind again.

I was reminded of that evening while reading a book by Susan Tomes, a very fine pianist whom I admire.

She said in one of her chapters that amplification had 'become the main event' in much modern pop music and that the youngsters embrace this music out of a kind of tribal allegiance. I am sure she is right. These young people are in danger of missing so much if they never hear music played quietly by genuine musical instruments, unamplified. I hope they will in maturer years happen upon a recording of the Quatuor Mosaiques playing Mozart's String Quartet KV 590 or Tuba Skinny playing Cold Morning Shout and be amazed by a new source of great musical joy.

There must be some nuggets somewhere in modern pop music but I long ago gave up the struggle to find them. If you asked me to explain the deficiencies of this type of music, I could come up with a kind of list. But Susan is brilliant at putting her finger right on so many features of the music world. So here she is doing the list-making job for me:

     'You need only spend an evening listening to any pop radio station across the world to know that songwriters in all countries work to a formula. The same disco beat, the same tiny short phrases, timid harmonies, melodies culled from just two or three notes, real instruments replaced by electronic sounds, performers who can't even sing.....'!

Post 289: WHAT KIT DO YOU TAKE TO THE GIG?

When musicians travel to a performance, what do they take with them? Their musical instrument, obviously; and probably a special costume and a music stand and music; and maybe instrument spares, such as strings in case one breaks.

But what other things –  perhaps very unmusical – do they consider essential?

I’ll give you my own Top Thirteen Tips.

1.   Thermal underwear! At most times of the year in England, if you know you will be playing outdoors, wearing thermal underwear is a wise precaution. You would be surprised how cold you get on a bandstand, with no opportunity to keep warm by running around.

2.   Clothes pegs. These are invaluable in securing music or notices, especially on a windy day.

3.   An optician’s tiny screwdriver. Many musical instruments have – somewhere or other – important fiddly screws that tend to work loose at awkward moments.

4.   Elastic bands. These have a hundred uses, especially for repairs. Never be without them.

5.   McDonald’s coffee stirrers. Maybe it’s just a foible of mine; but I find these ideal for poking around – for example, dislodging muck from mouthpieces.

6.   Insect repellent. Having been chewed to pieces by insects when playing near shrubberies at garden parties on warm English summer evenings, I quickly learned to apply insect repellent generously to the ears, neck, wrists and ankles. That usually does the trick.

7.   A biro. Hardly a gig goes by when you don’t have to make a note of something: a person you will need to contact, some music you need to sort out, details of a new booking and so on.

8.    A diary. You need to know exactly when you will be where. Otherwise, how will you be able to deal with anyone who may be interested in booking you?

9.   A bottle opener. This can a be a life-saver.

10. A drink (just in case nothing is offered at the gig).

11. A mini first-aid kit. Sudden damage to a finger, for example, could make playing very difficult.

12. Toiletries ad lib, especially teeth-cleaning equipment, and even more especially a toothpick. If you are a trumpet player and you are given a piece of crumbly cake, it is hopeless trying to play afterwards. Clean your teeth first or the trumpet will soon get blocked and the valves will also begin to stick.

13. Regardless of the weather, an umbrella and/or raincoat. I learned the hard way. I set off in minimal light clothing on a hot summer's day to play at an event in a marquee in the grounds of a stately home. During the gig, thunder, lightning and torrential rain developed. At the end, I was soaked through to the skin as I made my way back to the Car Park.

I know musicians who take much more: cables, torches, urinal bottles, trolleys, spare shirts and ties, hammers and wrenches.

I added recently some small pieces of wood to my own range. These are for placing under the feet of chairs. Why on earth will they be needed? Well, I’ve had enough of being asked to play for a couple of hours outdoors on sloping or unstable grass surfaces. This frequently happens at village fêtes and garden parties. Also they could be useful for holding doors open while colleagues unload drum kits, etc.

We have sometimes been on lawns so pocked with holes that the back legs of our chairs have suddenly sunk into the ground and – in the middle of a tune – you topple over backwards. It happened once to me. Very funny. But it’s also a health and safety issue.

Almost as bad is having a chair on a sloping piece of ground. Throughout the concert, your back and legs become increasingly painful as you brace yourself against slipping in one direction or another. It’s hard to focus on music-making when you are in pain.

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Other musicians have told me they take the obvious (spare reeds, spare cables and leads), but also: tiny flashlights with battery, thimbles, a multi-tool, cigarette papers to soak up condensation inside clarinet holes, insulating tape, cable ties, and biscuits. Reader Sam sent me this picture of the smaller of the gig bags that he uses. He also has a larger bag containing more tools, cleaning materials, cables, leads, etc.

Sam also writes: A useful box for keeping your essential items together is a VHS cassette case - I got this idea from a theatre sound engineer. I think these are just the right size for the basic kit you described, and fit easily into a gig bag or even a coat pocket. If you can't find a case at home, I've seen charity shops selling videos for 10p or 20p. Buy one, throw away the contents and the label and you're in business!

Post 236: DOES TRADITIONAL JAZZ HELP FIGHT DEMENTIA?

An American friend sent me an article suggesting that an interest in music can help offset the arrival of dementia in elderly people.

Today all over the world there are said to be 84 million elderly persons who pass their final months in a state of dementia. This is very sad for them and a source of great distress to their families. The article says there are five million Americans aged 65 and over right now with dementia, and the figure is rapidly rising.

So my friend's article set me wondering whether those of us who participate in traditional jazz are in fact doing ourselves a great deal of good in the struggle to retain our soundness of mind. 

Like many of you, I guess, I have long thought that we should  not allow ourselves to vegetate as we enter advanced years. We need to take regular exercise and also keep our minds alert. Cycling, walking, jogging, swimming, reading, conversing, pursuing interests and hobbies - all these activities surely help in keeping the little grey cells in good shape. 

Likewise, even though the scientists have a long way to go in understanding dementia, they are already urging us to stay active, have hobbies and be socially engaged.

Many senior citizens - even some in their 90s - still feel the benefit of playing musical instruments regularly. And think of the great Lionel Ferbos in New Orleans, who led his band until beyond the age of 100.

If you play in a traditional jazz band, your mind contains an amazing amount of stuff that you must constantly bring out of the mental cupboard and refresh - all those tunes, chord sequences, and pieces of historical information.

You quickly notice that many traditional jazz players are well into their eighth decade. And I don't hear of many former traditional jazz musicians suffering from dementia. Maybe this demonstrates the value of this particular hobby.

I once gave a concert with some other elderly musicians in a secure care home, where the residents were suffering from dementia. (It was rewarding to note how well some of these persons responded to our music - but that's another issue.) What particularly struck me was that the average age of our band members was conspicuously higher than that of the unfortunate residents. It made me wonder whether our music had helped us to avoid their fate.

Some researchers believe that you can defer dementia by five years if you speak two languages. And they are wondering whether music has the same effect as a 'second language'.

Brenda Hanna-Pladdy, who studies cognitive functioning among musicians at Emory University, said: 'If you can delay the presentation of dementia by five years, then you add an extra five years of functioning to an individual at the end of the life span. In terms of fiscal cost and everything, that's quite a lot.' She found that in old age former musicians who had given up playing were still better at object-naming and rapid mental processing than those who had never played at all. Also, those who began playing before the age of 9 had better verbal working memory functions than those who started later or didn't play at all.

Beth Kallmyer, Vice-President for constituent services at the Alzheimer's Association, said that - for people already with dementia - some sort of music therapy, especially if the music has some significance for the listener,  can reduce behavioural issues and have a calming influence (perhaps confirming what I noticed at the concert to which I referred).

There will doubtless be plenty of research on this subject in the years to come. One big question for us will be: do you have to play traditional jazz to get all the benefits, or can you still benefit from just listening to and appreciating it?
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Footnotes: I have had responses to the above:
Ivan,
Yes indeed, an interesting topic.  I've also dwelt on a related subject: is it ever too late to take up a musical instrument?  Are there some instruments which are easier to take up than others as age advances? As we know, it is physically and mentally demanding, and I understand that different instruments suit different people.  But maybe there is also a sliding scale of age-related suitability. From your experience can you recall who has taken up what and when and with what degree of success?
Ralph
Ralph: I personally know of only five musicians who started to learn instruments from scratch when they were already 60 years old or more (one of them slightly younger than that). Three chose the banjo, one the clarinet and one the piano. They all worked hard at it and I'm pleased to report that they all now play in bands.
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Chris (pianist) has drawn my attention to this website:

http://www.helpguide.org/life/prevent_memory_loss.htm

The writer makes the point that you have to 'use it or lose it' and that taking up a musical instrument in old age (as a beginner) can be beneficial.
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Jazz saxophone / clarinet player John has written this:

Ivan, I agree with your comments concerning onset of memory loss. IF memory loss is because the grey cells are not frequently used, then surely playing as opposed to listening to music is to my mind going to be more helpful. However, one needs to be aware that a physical reason, namely lack of blood supply is very likely to be a very real problem, in which case regular exercise is surely of great help in delaying the inevitable. Low-fat diet is probably also very helpful, if a physical condition is the cause. Since brain cells cease to re-generate, heavy drinking could be a factor, though judging by the excessive drinking habits of some musicians, who nevertheless still have super memories,  in my opinion drink is not likely a meaningful reason. As an aside, lack of sleep severely affects my memory!  Though this  recovers after resting.

Post 200: HEALTH AND SAFETY

I wonder whether those of you who attempt to play traditional jazz have come across many health and safety issues at gigs?

Apart from the obvious dangers of tripping over wires or stands or falling off a stage (really our own fault), I have found the following experiences to be the most unpleasant.

(1) Playing outside in very cold weather.

I have occasionally been in a band asked to play outdoors with no protection in freezing temperatures. This usually happens in the English winter (for example, at Christmas-related events) and, even if you wear your thermals, you can still end up bitterly cold and shivering. It is hard to play your instrument when your mouth, fingers and the instrument itself are so cold. I have seen banjo-players suffering particularly badly. Not only are their fingers frozen; their instruments go out of tune because of the temperature. And this does not happen only in the winter. It occurs sometimes in other seasons when the band is required to set up in a spot where it is exposed to sharp easterly winds. What a relief it is - at the end of such gigs - to get back in your car and have the heater on while you drive home and thaw out!

(2) Insect bites.

Garden parties on summer evenings can be especially scary. I remember our band being seated next to a substantial hedge on a warm late-August evening. The first hour was all right. Then out came the pesky little critters and they bit us like mad - all over our faces, hands and ankles. This experience taught me always to carry insect repellent in my accessories.

(3) Collapsing chairs.

I have seen two sousaphone players take nasty backward tumbles. Peter Jenns was on the back of a float during a carnival procession in Wisbech: the lorry moved forward suddenly and he was thrown over backwards and injured. He refused ever to take part in such an event again. The other - David Parker - was required to sit on a chair that had been placed on ground sloping slightly backwards. Lawns can be softer than they look. Half-way through the gig, poor Dave suddenly disappeared backwards. This also happened to me last year. One of the back legs of my chair dropped very suddenly into a crack in the lawn. This happened right in the middle of a tune, so my tumble must have looked very amusing to the audience, but I sustained a gash from my elbow to my wrist and my shirt sleeve was covered in blood.

(4) Sunstroke.

One summer afternoon The Nene Valley Stompers were invited to play for two and a half hours on a small stage at a village fête in Norfolk. I was a member of the band at the time. There was no wind, a clear blue sky and the sun beat down remorselessly on our heads. We were offered no cover. By the end of the gig, I felt ill. I had to drive home cautiously, take aspirins and go immediately to bed. It was more than a touch of sunstroke.

(5) Barbecue Smoke

You arrive at the gig and settle down to play on the spot allocated to you - on a stage or in a gazebo. All goes well at first. Then they start cooking the barbecue. A breeze blows the smoke directly on to the band. The musicians have no escape. They do not wish to appear wimps or killjoys by requesting a move, so they endure it. I'm not sure whether this is really a health and safety issue. But I know it is unpleasant taking gulps of air in these circumstances and that after a time the eyes begin to sting.

Post 189: SMOKING

When my father was a soldier during the Second World War, one of the kindest and most generous things wives or relatives thought they could do was to send packets of cigarettes to 'our boys'. Smoking was considered fashionable and normal.

How times have changed!

I'm lucky. I am a non-smoker. Several times, in my youth, I wished I could give up non-smoking, but I lacked the will to do it.

When I was 60 years old and trying to play traditional jazz, I was kindly allowed to sit in with a band playing regularly in a Norfolk pub here in England. It was a great learning experience for me. I joined the band and stayed with it for several years. But breathing inside the pub was unpleasant: there was a fug of tobacco smoke. Many in the audience (not to mention three members of the band - one of them a doctor!) were serious smokers. At the end of every gig, my eyes were sore, my hair and skin were stinking and my clothes needed to go straight in the wash.

On top of all this, goodness knows what damage was being done to the health of everyone in the pub. (Those three smoker musicians, by the way, have all since died.)

After a few years, at the start of 2004, the pub landlord was enlightened enough to put up a notice banning smoking from the bar in which the band played (though not in the rest of the pub). This made a huge difference. I enjoyed the gigs so much more.

As you may know, a ban on smoking in public places was eventually introduced by law in the UK in July 2007. Since then, playing in jazz bands in indoor venues has become much more pleasurable.

Why am I picking on this subject today? Because a blog reader told me how sad it was to see musicians having to endure such a smoky atmosphere when they played at some jazz venues in America. This blog reader (O.K. - it's Wally, from Canada) admits that he himself is a smoker. And yet he is understanding enough to appreciate that singers and trumpet players, for example, have to gulp air in through the mouth rapidly and frequently while performing. They need to fill the lungs with good air - not something choking and lethal.

Sadly, some of the musicians themselves are smokers - even among those young stars in New Orleans whose generation ought to know better. I am saddened. We have come to love these brilliant young people; and their music brings us so much pleasure. It is a pity they do something that not only makes their work harder but will probably shorten their lives.

But there is some good news. I visited New Orleans in April 2015, and was pleased to note that smoking was by then banned in some of the venues in which the bands play. And I noticed very little smoking during my several visits to The Spotted Cat. I was also told by locals that a law-enforceable ban (as in England) was due to come into force on April 22, a few days after I left.