A little philosophy. Indulge me, if you would. What I know about jazz audiences is that they come in many degrees of understanding. On one end, there are the aficionados, who know all about jazz: its history, its many iterations, the names of all the players, the harmonic concepts, tune forms, the whole thing. On the other end, there are the neophytes, who have never paid much attention to jazz, but maybe, just maybe, might learn to like it after a while.
I used to produce and host a weekly jazz radio show called “Jazz Straightahead,” which gave me a chance to try out my theory that jazz music, its history, its players and composers, its anecdotes, are all part of the appeal of this music. By sharing with listeners more than simply the music itself, but also the back stories, the life stories, well, all the stories behind the music, I could lure more listeners into the jazz “tent.” And my radio experience proved me right. More than once, I had listeners tell me, “I never cared very much about jazz, but I’ve been listening to your show, and I’m getting to like it!” Nothing pleased me more. To the point: When Dry Martini performs, I bring that same philosophy to the bandstand. And I find that by introducing the tunes we play, identifying the composer, perhaps the jazz artist who originally recorded it, maybe even sharing an anecdote about the tune or the artist/ composer behind it, listeners are more attentive to the music itself. And I think they get a little more out of the experience. Thanks for listening. — Terry MacDonald |
“Cheers!”
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