Just Talkin'

gritzgroove · Joined: 13 Nov 2002 Posts: 1 Location: Augusta , GA

Between the Grooves
Sunday, November 10, 2002

For years one “room” in my town has been the jazz spot. This venue had two “house” groups with one having played there at least five years. A couple of weeks ago both bands were “fired”. Live music, in my town, has always been a challenge. Unfortunately, landlords and other creditors have little concern about anyone being out of work. Mostly they tell us to get real jobs.

I was not affected by this shift in attitude but I have been, over the years, removed and replaced by disc jockey’s, folk groups, blues bands, and a dancing bear or two. In a town that has an unlimited number of musicians I imagine this sort of thing happens all the time. When it happens here the twenty or so jazz musicians are all involved. Phones start ringing, blame is bantered about, someone threatens to start a country band, and one or two ask if I know where they can buy a dancing bear.

In a few months another room will become a haven for working jazz bands. This will settle in and for a year or two everything will be fine again. Business will drop off and once again the search for a dancing bear will begin. This is the cycle of jazz music in my town. It has always been that way and I don’t expect it will change.

Speaking of jazz, there is one room that caters to a younger crowd by offering new wave jazz. Not being real sure what that was I ventured into the club, had a beer and waited for the band to start. It did. It seems that this free form music allows everyone to play in a different key, the rhythm section, piano, bass, and drums, were in no way connected to each other. After at least twelve minutes of this cacophony it stopped as suddenly as it began. People clapped, yelled bravo, and asked for more. I asked for a check.

I will blame it on my age. I seem to remember that the music I was playing in the late fifties, bebop, received similar reviews. I guess this musical experiment will, in the future, grow into something that can be written down and played by other musicians, or it will be replaced by a dancing bear.

Guest · Posted: Fri Aug 20, 2004 7:13 am Post subject:

you need to shut up, shed some wood and learn how to comp. tastefully.