swinging in the frost

My dear friends, I awoke this morning, turned on my fave 24 hour channel - news, views, weather, traffic, ticker, all coming at you at breakneck speed - and I glanced at the outside temperature. People used to have those nice little thermometers outside their windows but with CP 24 who needs them? It was -24 Celsius; actually - 36 with the windchill (yes, that is a "minus" sign in front of the number) Skull numbing cold.....

Last night was almost as cold and I set out to play a gag (ok, make that a "gig") in the outlying suburb of Oakville. This was a duo gig with me on guitar and vox and my friend Don Tiffany on trumpet (more about Don later!) When I reached my destination and entered the joint, I'll admit to a feeling of a rather strong anxiety. Hockey and basketball on huge screens above the bar (Swedish hockey, btw, as there is no NHL), lots of noisy patrons in baseball caps, the smell of french fries and vinegar hanging over the place like a thick fog (no smoke, though: this is Ontario and the smokers were banished to an outdoor heated patio, to puff away in the frost) Disco music was blaring from giant speakers. Something told me this was not going to be a good night; this did not seem like the right spot for some mellow jazz grooves. My gut feeling is seldom wrong - but thankfully it WAS last night....

Don got in just in the nick of time, I was already pacing up and down, clutching my cell phone in a sweaty palm, when I saw his huge Caddy pull in the parking lot. He ran in, took off his coat, pulled out his horn and we were off. At first, the patrons couldn't quite believe their ears. I think this joint hires mostly single acts - dudes with drum machines and tons of effects who play top 40 material and here we were, two guys in their early fifties, playing "Bye Bye Blackbird" and "Honeysuckle Rose". I did throw in a couple of more pub-friendly tunes like "Moondance" and "Unchain My Heart" but overall, we didn't really need to tweak the repertoir. Later we were told that people actually loved the fact they didn't have to yell above the music and even if our repertoir isn't EXACTLY their pint of lager, they went with it all the way. Don even threw in a couple of his originals and, encouraged by his boldness, so did I.....I'm always shy about playing originals and yet people often seem quite receptive and appreciative when you tell them you're playing something you wrote. I think my insecurity in this regard has kept my drawer full of good original tunes and then I cry in my tea over not having recognition as a songwriter - unlike Don, who just introduces a tune he wrote and plows ahead. Yeah, ok, I'm a wimp in this regard...always trying to please.

Don Tiffany is a guy I met recently on a gig. He asked to sit in and played some tasty trumpet - Louis Armstrong style. I think last night was our third paying gig together (we did a couple at the Distillery with Jamie MacPherson on banjo back in December) Don is a force of nature. The guy does not know what a bad day is. As he says himself, every day is his birthday. He blows his horn with sweet abandon, dances and prances, talks to the audience, chats up people during breaks, always high on life (and caffeine?? DON: correct me if I'm wrong ;-) A really sunny guy to be around and a great networker. People can't help but being charmed by his openness.

I think that compared to him, I am more of a "sad clown"....yeah, I know, I'm inviting some cheap shots here ("your guitar playing is pretty sad....") but that's really the way I often feel. Percieved as fairly outgoing and confident, it's often just a mask for someone who has learned to behave this way because it's the only way to forge ahead in this business.

We wrapped up around midnight, got paid promptly and in cash (love it!) and it looks like we'll be back there. Plus a bunch of people want us for their private parties and all the usual good stuff. So the only downside was walking out into the frigid night and shivering in the car till it warmed up once I was cruising eastward on the Queen Elizabeth Way.

divas

Now and again - in fact, quite often - I am approached by singers of the female persuasion. They want to sing. They want the limelight. They want recognition of their talent. They want audience adulation. Whatever it is that they want, they see me as a conduit for their aspirations. I have achieved a modicum of success on the Toronto scene (the emphasis being on the word "modicum") and so I assume it's natural for people to gravitate towards someone they percieve as potentially helpful. Absolutely nothing wrong with that. Nevertheless, here are a few words of unsolicited - but well meant - advice:

First of all, before you even think of the business end of it, be passionate about your singing. Sing all the time. Learn new tunes all the time. Study. Work on your intonation. Practice. Learn more new tunes. If at all possible, learn the rudiments of an instrument: preferably guitar or piano, so you can accompany yourself. Never stop working on your craft. Learn some basic terminology, such as modulation, time signature, tempo. But above all, be passionate about singing. It's not possible to sell something to others - be it a bar owner or an audience - unless you have already sold it to yourself. In other words, you know your repertoir and love performing it. You may get the jitters and you may lack experience, that's fine! But you don't just want "fame" for the sake of it: you want people to recognize and possibly reward your talent.

Secondly, know the type of music you want to perform. Saying: "Oh, I love it all....I love jazz, and I love pop, and I love rock, and I love opera" is professional suicide. We live in a world where everything is patterned; everything needs a slot. That's why Norah Jones is put in the slot of "jazz" even though she is not really a jazz singer and Shania Twain is put in the slot of "country" even though she is not a country singer (they're both pop singers, pure and simple - albeit with different orchestrations and tempos). So if you love to sing Gershwin and Ellington, don't hesitate to call yourself a jazz singer and target that market. If you love to sing George Jones and Willie Nelson - it's the country market you're after. But whatever it is - please make sure you know. You already KNOW who you are and what you want. You just need someone to accompany you, perhaps sing a little harmony behind you, perhaps give you a few pointers or perhaps produce your recording - and that's why you have sought me out.

Thirdly, know your basic repertoir. If you are a jazz singer (and that's who I work with, mostly) you must not give me a blank look when I say "Don't Get Around Much Anymore". Before you approach me, you should know at least 30 (preferably 60) jazz standards which means also knowing the lyrics. The key in which you sing them is up to you (and it's my job to be able to accompany you in ANY key) but you should KNOW the key. And you should definitely know what a "key" is, otherwise we're off to a bad start...

Fourth, I'll do a couple of rehearsals with you if you have already booked some gigs. Or if you have not and want to pay me for rehearsal time, I'll rehearse a little bit. Otherwise fuggetaboudit......As a rule, jazz musicians don't rehearse and do not need to rehearse. Jazz is music spontaneously created on the stage within the confines and the framework of the standards all jazz musicians know. To ask me to rehearse "Satin Doll" with you is a pointless waste of time. If you have written arrangements for horns, rest assured that all professional horn players know their stuff and can read music on the spot. May not be flawless the first time around but given a few gigs, the tunes will become really tight! (an exception: if you have excellent original material and I believe in its potential and have fun playing it, I'll rehearse without hesitation)

To sum up: be passionate about your art, have some decent "charts" with solid "changes" ready (and do not ask me what "changes" mean), book the jobs, then call me and we'll be happy ever after.