I play in a big band that will, every now and then, play at functions where the band is not the "primary focus", i.e. nobody came to hear us; they are there for a more important reason. And it is not surprising that we do not receive applause. In fact, until tonight, we had never been applauded after playing a song at these events. Disheartening.
Well tonight the band was running a bit low on material, and we had already played a song twice, so a trio was quickly formed. The conversation went thusly:
Leader to Sax (me): "You have something together?"
Sax to Piano: "You want to play that one song?"
Piano to Sax: "The Chili Peppers tune we were playing? Yeah..." (referring to "Especially in Michigan)
Sax to Drummer: "Play a rock beat, don't slow down, hit your drums hard"
Piano to Sax: "Are we going to follow the form we normally do"
Sax (not remembering what this normal form is) to Piano: "No".
We received applause. And not just the sort of polite clapping you sometimes get. It was hoot and holler applause.
I listen to big bands and the music captivates me. I'm excited, interested... ext. I don't know why the greater public doesn't see eye to eye with me. And what confuses me more is that the trio was complete improv. The drummer had no clue what was going on, and the piano and sax didn't rehearse it much. The big band had spent hours getting every note to begin and end with each other. The amount of effort put in and the amount of appreciation you get is so backwards.
Tends to challenge the jazz purists dislike of The Bad Plus though: The trio playing a rock song was payed more attention than the big band playing classic charts.
Just as you never hear an accountant say they are in it for the numbers, you won't hear me saying I play music for the response I get from the crowd (assuming there is one).
Jazz: The Underappreciated Art Form
November 08, 2007 | |
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1 comments:
I really miss not being there to play with you guys! I really value musical experiences like that. They're never planned, and they end up impacting you most out of anything as a performer.
You brought up a very interesting point, and I agree. However, I think the success of your combo last night went even further than what was played. I believe it was the nature of the ensemble itself that caused such an interest.
There has been something about small ensembles that has really captivated people musically ever since their first uses. It is very often said that the string quartet is the ultimate form of classical music, even music in general. That is to say, greater than the symphony, the sonata, and the opera, among the various others. There is something about being able to hear the tonal qualities of each individual instrument and the performer through it; not only being able to hear the note, but being able to hear the wood, the bow hair, the physical movement of the performers, even their breathing.
Being that the ensembles are so small, there is an almost unlimited opportunity for the performers to play musically, and interpret each passage however they want; to feed off of each other, and go in directions that not even they anticipated.
The jazz combo is like the string quartet of the 20th century. The personality of each player is all of sudden laid bare. The audience members watch each player, their facial expressions, their hands, and their movements, in conjunction with the music. Everything about each performer opens up, and the audience can see that.
Big bands are excellent musical ensembles. Some of the best writing has been for large ensembles such as these. However, there is something about small ensembles of a few performers that will always interest listeners. I love the sound of vocal trios and quartets, as well as more medium sized choral ensembles with many parts. There is just something about being able to hear each individual voice and know its importance to the ensemble. You hear a person, not a voice.
I think this is why you were so successful. Of course, the performers need to be interesting and captivating musically. From playing with you guys in the past, you all certainly have those qualities. Hopefully I'll have a chance to join you all again next Friday. I'll talk to you later. God Bless.
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