If you are a jazz musician you know that hotel gigs can be a drag. They don't really want you to jam and solo. What they really want you to do is to play soft tunes that the guests can enjoy while they are having a meal or a drink. Meaning, people really didn't come there to listen.
If you get an applause, it's a miracle! Could it be there are some people that came to hear what you are playing? It would be an even greater miracle if you get an applause after a solo! That would mean there is someone in the audience that actually listens to jazz! But I love the brave audience, and that could be just one person, who dares to clap after the song is finished. Those ones are not embarrassed to be heard appreciating music and what they do is make others that simply forgot to clap and ignored the musicians embarrassed for not doing that. Then the gig gets better. When we get such a feedback, we try harder and play like crazy. We do all the licks, the singer starts scatting, solos get more complex and longer...then we start to jam! You wouldn't believe what a little feedback can do. No feedback does just the opposite. You get bored, there's a lack of motivation to play, or you simply think "what the hell, I'm just gonna have fun!" and then play with the tunes just because you can.
Hotel gigs may not be the greatest thing for a musician's ego, but it sure is great for his technique because one can practice more by performing regularly. It could be a good thing if you don't let them take away your creativity. It could also be a bad thing if you get into one routine and then after a while you forget what real jazz is about. Then you go to a jam session and your solo isn't impressive anymore...furthermore, it's a bit lame.
So be careful with the hotel gigs and keep the jazz feelin' in your playing!
Having said all this, I invite you to hear my gigs at the Hotel Regent Esplanade in Zagreb, Croatia every Wednesday, Thursday and Friday night! :)
More on - www.myspace.com/majazzy
The photo was taken by Tvrtko Stuka. Check out his work!
If you get an applause, it's a miracle! Could it be there are some people that came to hear what you are playing? It would be an even greater miracle if you get an applause after a solo! That would mean there is someone in the audience that actually listens to jazz! But I love the brave audience, and that could be just one person, who dares to clap after the song is finished. Those ones are not embarrassed to be heard appreciating music and what they do is make others that simply forgot to clap and ignored the musicians embarrassed for not doing that. Then the gig gets better. When we get such a feedback, we try harder and play like crazy. We do all the licks, the singer starts scatting, solos get more complex and longer...then we start to jam! You wouldn't believe what a little feedback can do. No feedback does just the opposite. You get bored, there's a lack of motivation to play, or you simply think "what the hell, I'm just gonna have fun!" and then play with the tunes just because you can.
Hotel gigs may not be the greatest thing for a musician's ego, but it sure is great for his technique because one can practice more by performing regularly. It could be a good thing if you don't let them take away your creativity. It could also be a bad thing if you get into one routine and then after a while you forget what real jazz is about. Then you go to a jam session and your solo isn't impressive anymore...furthermore, it's a bit lame.
So be careful with the hotel gigs and keep the jazz feelin' in your playing!
Having said all this, I invite you to hear my gigs at the Hotel Regent Esplanade in Zagreb, Croatia every Wednesday, Thursday and Friday night! :)
More on - www.myspace.com/majazzy
The photo was taken by Tvrtko Stuka. Check out his work!
1 comment:
promise to drop by on my own sometime, came to hear you but I haven't seen the friend I came with for quite some time, so... btw. fix your myspace link in this post ;)
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