[Tradjazz] IMprovising

[Don Mopsick]

Bruce:

I was on a lot of those jobs you hired George French to lead and play
banjo. On more than one occasion, a listener was frustrated because
George didn't know some very basic jazz repertoire. More than one
listener became angry and one even shouted at George that he was a
fraud. 

He was. 

Since I was relatively new to trad jazz at that point, I got a good idea
of how not to be. Thanks for that.

mopo

Don Mopsick, Riverwalk Webmaster

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> Sent: Friday, November 10, 2006 11:00 AM
> To: tradjazz at list.okom.com
> Subject: Tradjazz Digest, Vol 4, Issue 5
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> Today's Topics:
> 
>    1. IMPROVISING (Bruce McNichols)
> 
> 
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
> 
> Message: 1
> Date: Thu, 9 Nov 2006 15:23:49 -0500
> From: "Bruce McNichols" <muskrat at bestweb.net>
> Subject: [Tradjazz] IMPROVISING
> To: <tradjazz at list.okom.com>
> Message-ID: <00ae01c7043c$fdc54020$6103b3d8 at Bruce>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
> 
> IMPROVISING
> When I first started paying attention to our music, on records etc., I
> didn't analyze why I liked some bands, and some soloists, better than
> others. Only when I started playing in improvisational situations, did
I
> come to understand how hard it is. Over many years, I studied the
songs I
> liked, and found out the chord changes (mostly by tapping the minds of
> guys who had the ability to hear the changes).
> 
> I tried to form my solos, around the chords. It worked, sort of. My
solos
> (and ensemble playing too), were rather stilted. Just a bunch of
notes.
> Simply "not playing wrong notes" isn't really good enough. I had to
> memorize the chords, for each song. I had zero ears.
> 
> Then came a revelation of sorts. I had always liked banjo/tuba music,
but
> had neither in my band. A lady friend of the owner of the scene of my
> first steady gig, mentioned that she had an old banjo, in her attic.
She
> gave it to me and I went at it. Because I had a knowledge, albeit a
small
> knowledge, of playing guitar, I chose to use guitar-tuning on the bj.
Joe
> Klee was forever chiding me for that. In an "Only in the World of Joe
> Klee" manner, Joe himself, played banjo with guitar-tuning.!
> 
>   A young fellow who played piano with us at that time, was one of
those
> perfect-pitch guys, so I tapped him for not only the chord names, but
also
> for the fingerings of the chords. Since he was not a guitarist, he
figured
> out the fingerings using his musical knowledge. That surely accounts
for
> why, to this day, guitarists sometimes ask me about the fingerings I
use.
> I guess that they've never seen such things before.
> After playing banjo for a while, things seemed to fall into place. It
was
> only a matter of time before I realized a number of profound (to me)
> things, i.e.: ** Five Foot Two and Please Don't Talk About Me have the
> exact same changes.
> 
> ** The Five Foot Two bridge, is the same as the bridge on other tunes
> (such as Mobile).
> 
> ** G7 usually follows a D7 (and all the rest of that circle of fifths
> business). That led to an understanding of playing in different keys.
The
> relationship is all the same (remember now, before that, I didn't know
> nuttin'). I started to be able to hear chord changes and be able to
> predict what the next chord would be.
> 
> Just when I thought I had arrived, I came to realize that I had a long
way
> to go (and, of course, I'm still "goin'"). Little by little I became
aware
> of the fact that the guys who played a lot of notes, were not my
> favorites. For a while, we used Bill Watrous (phenomenal trombonist).
He
> sure could play fast and high, but who needs (or wants) it in old-time
> Jazz band?
> 
> Although I readily accepted that less is more, I am still striving to
> apply that to my sop sax playing. One time, Lynne and I went to Zinno
(a
> jazz joint in New York City) to hear Howard Alden (guitar), Michael
Moore
> (bass) and Ken Peplowski (reeds). They had no sooner played 8 bars,
when
> Lynne said "They're not gonna play like this all night, are they?" I
had
> to break the news to her that they often display their technical
> virtuosity That wouldn't concern me if they were hack players, but
these
> guys are among the very best players in the world!.
> 
> Of course, I have a helluva nerve complaining. After all, I should be
able
> to play half as well as those guys do.
> 
> ~~~~~~~~~~
> 
> As a sidebar, I just reminded myself of an incident that relates to
the
> subject of various style of Jazz. Lynne and I used to go to see Anita
> O'Day when she performed often around NYC (in the late 1960's). I told
ya
> that I like many kinds of music.
> 
> One day, Lynne called me and said "Anita's gonna be at Two Guitars (a
jazz
> club on Manhattan's West Side) tonight." I countered with, yeah, but
> you're not gonna like it. The Lee Konitz group is with her and they're
too
> modern for you.
> 
> "No no, I love them," she replied (having never heard of them). I made
a
> deal with her. I said we'll sit at the bar and listen and if you like
> them, we'll get a table and stay. Sold!
> 
> Shortly after we walked in the door, I said "OK, let's go." She said
"No,
> wait, they're gonna play 'On Green Dolphin Street' and I love that
song" I
> had to break the news to her. "They're not gonna play 'Green Dolphin
> Street,' they are playing 'Green Dolphin Street!'"
> 
> Lynne had honestly thought that the band was tuning up  - you know,
when
> each musician is playing something different. She said "Let's get
outta
> here!"
> 
> This is not to say that the band was bad. Indeed, they were
established,
> famous, accomplished musicians. It simply goes back to the old adage
"They
> ain't talkin' to me."
> 
> ~~~~~~~~~~
> 
> I once played for Herb Gardner, a recording of a Ricky Nelson bone
solo,
> on "Wabash Blues." He did a whole solo of sub-tones. I asked Herb if
he
> could play like that. In typical Herb fashion, his response was
brilliant.
> He said "It's not so much a question of 'Can' I play like that,' as it
is
> 'Would I choose to' play like that."  Touch?, Herb.
> 
>   Speaking of Herb, I feel privileged to have played alongside that
guy,
> for all these years. I know why he likes playing with my bands. It's
> because I build my bands from the rhythm section, up. Although we
don't
> use drums very often, I'm still more likely to select "another rhythm
> section guy," than "another horn."
> I once lamented to Herb that I simply do not know the melodies, for
most
> of the tunes we play. I was referring to my ability to improvise a
solo.
> What Herb said was another revelation. He said "It's not so much that
you
> play THE melody, as it is that you play A melody - not just a bunch of
> notes. So simple, yet so evasive. Ya gotta create a melody. That tends
to
> bring coherence to a solo.
> 
>   I read that whenever Turk Murphy introduced a new number into the
band's
> repertoire, he would insist that everyone learn the melody and they'd
all
> play it a bunch of times. That way, of course, each guy was aware of
the
> main structure of the tune and that was reflected in their playing.
> So, here I am, all these years later, still trying to learn how to
play. I
> am very aware of my musical limitations. I could hire mediocre players
and
> be the best guy in the band, but that's no fun. I strive to hire the
best
> players I can get. That makes the band sound better, gets us more
gigs,
> and last but not least, gives me more pleasure.
> 
>   I used to love the way the late Jay Brackett played bone. He drank
like
> a fish, so I didn't use him all that often. I was well aware of his
> limitations, and his good points. He understood the music, knew the
> melodies, played good lead and good solos. He was a helluva singer
too.
> The musicians would often fault me for using George French on banjo
and to
> lead bands. "He plays the same 20 songs every night!" they would cry.
They
> never got it when I said "Yes, but he plays the right 20 tunes!" That
guy
> had a good feel, and he knew how to please the crowd.
> 
> I always try to do songs that the musicians like, but I pay very close
> attention to the audience. I love the old-time pop tunes and have no
> qualms about playing them. If the songs relate to the audience, then
I'm
> all the more happy. If I have to wear a striped vest and play The
Saints,
> so be it. I wouldn't want to have to get a real job.
> 
> McN
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
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