Klarinet Archive - Posting 000160.txt from 1999/09

From: "Kevin Fay (LCA)" <kevinfay@-----.com>
Subj: RE: [kl] jazz band .
Date: Mon, 6 Sep 1999 19:14:44 -0400

Jessica wanted to know--

<<<I am in a high school jazz band and we need some classy and fun uniforms,
but we have yet to come up with a good idea . It must be under 125 dollars ,
and we have considered Zoot Suits but those were 155 and are way to[o] much
trouble. Any suggestions?>>>

Jessica--this is not a flame on you and your cohorts, but a lamentation on
the state of performance dress in general.

There was a time when jazz musicians dressed every bit as elegantly as their
"classical" counterparts--I'd bet $$$ that any one of Duke Ellington's suits
cost more than Toscanini's tails.

Alas, between bop and fusion (not to mention various and sundry substance
abuses), it seems to have become OK to come out on stage dressed like a slob
(I could name many, many of the miscreants) or a freak (I give you the later
Miles Davis or Sun Ra--no further questions). Fortunately, Wynton
Marsalis--heading up a new generation of young musicians that have decided
to both show and demand respect for their music as an art form--are
reversing this trend.

I do not understand why a band director who is very careful with how his or
her concert band looks will allow their stage band to wear jeans. It show a
fundamental disrespect for the music--it visually tells the audience that
what they are about to hear isn't art, or very important. You don't have to
play a note to tell your audience how seriously you take your work--you show
them even before you've finished sitting down to play.

So, Jessica--the question for you is whether you want your music taken
seriously or not. If not, go ahead and wear a T-shirt with a silly slogan,
or polo shirts.

My advice--wear what you would wear to church (or more precisely, what MY
parents would have forced ME to wear to church). Jackets are expensive, and
perhaps not necessary. Ties are cheap, and for the young gentlemen in your
group, an absolute necessity. Everyone needs to own a white dress shirt,
but other colors are OK as long as they are designed to hold neckties.
(Bill's idea was excellent. HIS group looks good, I bet). Shoes need to be
shined--and the kind of shoes that can be.

If you want to inject a period feel, you could try hats (ask your
grandfather what a "fedora" is). Of course, no self-respecting musician of
the swing era would actually wear a hat indoors, but that's a different
diatribe . . .

kjf

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