(bottom of page)
Like I say, there are a lot of "jazzbo" attitudes still lingering that date way back to the 20s.
Well, in those days, the serious guys saw jazz as a crusade; they were bound and determined to live the jazz life to the exclusion of all else (and in some cases - Bix, Peewee Russell, Bird, Chet Baker - to the exclusion of health and life itself). They'd get up, play music until it was time to go to the gig, play the gig, play music till they couldn't keep their eyes open, and catch a few hours sleep before repeating it the next day. A working group in those days would rehearse and rehearse and rehearse, over a limited repertoire, and all the guys in the jam sessions knew each other, knew all the tunes, no beginners permitted.
These guys who formed that paradigm were also the most virtuosic and artistic musicians of their generation, concentrated in a few blocks of New York City and other great cities, and living off - well, pretty much nothing, except for a few guys who were married to women with steady jobs, and a few others who got ongoing support from their families - but mostly, it was pretty much complete poverty.
So now, the idea lingers that a group that consists of the band director at the middle school with 3 kids, the insurance adjuster, the dental assistant, and the turret lathe operator, should be equally as dedicated, should have all the tunes fully memorized, should snarl at anyone who throws a clam, just as if Ahmed Ertegun Rudy Van Gelder Tommy Dorsey Oscar Pettiford and Sonny Stitt were there in the audience auditioning each player for a round the world tour or something.
Time to lighten up, gents. Most of us are just part timers who want to play some music as best we can and enjoy the process. If you need a memory aid to remember how that one, out of thousands of tunes, goes - hell, use it.
Well, in those days, the serious guys saw jazz as a crusade; they were bound and determined to live the jazz life to the exclusion of all else (and in some cases - Bix, Peewee Russell, Bird, Chet Baker - to the exclusion of health and life itself). They'd get up, play music until it was time to go to the gig, play the gig, play music till they couldn't keep their eyes open, and catch a few hours sleep before repeating it the next day. A working group in those days would rehearse and rehearse and rehearse, over a limited repertoire, and all the guys in the jam sessions knew each other, knew all the tunes, no beginners permitted.
These guys who formed that paradigm were also the most virtuosic and artistic musicians of their generation, concentrated in a few blocks of New York City and other great cities, and living off - well, pretty much nothing, except for a few guys who were married to women with steady jobs, and a few others who got ongoing support from their families - but mostly, it was pretty much complete poverty.
So now, the idea lingers that a group that consists of the band director at the middle school with 3 kids, the insurance adjuster, the dental assistant, and the turret lathe operator, should be equally as dedicated, should have all the tunes fully memorized, should snarl at anyone who throws a clam, just as if Ahmed Ertegun Rudy Van Gelder Tommy Dorsey Oscar Pettiford and Sonny Stitt were there in the audience auditioning each player for a round the world tour or something.
Time to lighten up, gents. Most of us are just part timers who want to play some music as best we can and enjoy the process. If you need a memory aid to remember how that one, out of thousands of tunes, goes - hell, use it.
