Being entertaining.

[rpjazzguitar]

What we've done to try to build an audience:

FB announcements and mailing list. These steps need to be taken adequately in advance, so that people hear about the gig before it occurs.

Website with pics, audio clips and a couple of videos.

Outreach to likely venues.

Appropriate dress.

My view is that on a night we're playing at a venue, we are in partnership with the owner. Our interests are compatible. We both want a room full of happy people. It's way more fun to play for an enthusiastic audience, or, so I think. One of my band members cares less about that than about playing the songs he wants to play.

After a couple of years playing all-instrumental music with some success, but not enough IMO, we got a singer and another band member started singing. Now we have vocals on most of our tunes. Remains to be seen how much audiences respond. Early indications are positive.

We're usually hired to play Brazilian jazz, but the band is bored with simple bossas so we play a lot of stuff that the lay audience usually doesn't know (I've posted a bunch of tracks in the Showcase section of this forum). The band has performed nearly 200 different tunes over the last three years. Probably too many. The decision about how much to focus on familiar (and/or easier) music is one that divides the band.

Perhaps surprisingly, we recently took a rock gig (a friend of a band member wanted this band, no matter what). It went great and the band loved it. That did not make everybody want to do it again.

We put in a novelty treatment of a tune, partly for laughs. Audience is attentive. It seems to work.

Got rid of the music stands and went with Ipads. I play on a raised stool -- I ride a volume pedal constantly, which I can't do standing up. And, having the Ipads low enough to leave the visual lines open is important. Good point about that.

We have even brought in some decorations for the stage.

The band is split on how much to talk to the audience. Some say it's better not to talk (and I've heard that from some audience members). I think it's good to talk a bit if you've got something interesting or amusing to say - and not to do it shyly. What ends up happening is that people who came to hear the band like it. People who came for dinner and want to converse are probably annoyed by it. Personally, I usually like it, unless the performer is rambling on. I like it when the band reveals themselves to the audience, usually with banter.

I've been thinking about the word "set" vs the word "show". Can we be entertaining enough that we can think of what we do as a "show", not a "set"?

I haven't said much about the quality of the music. We work hard on that and then it is what it is. If I had to pick only one thing to focus on to build an audience, more than anything else, it would be the quality of the groove. People like music that makes them move. I'm not as good at it as I'd like to be, but it can be an elusive thing to work on.

[starjasmine]

My view is that on a night we're playing at a venue, we are in partnership with the owner. Our interests are compatible. We both want a room full of happy people. It's way more fun to play for an enthusiastic audience, or, so I think.

Spot on.

I've been thinking about the word "set" vs the word "show". Can we be entertaining enough that we can think of what we do as a "show", not a "set"?

. . .

If I had to pick only one thing to focus on to build an audience, more than anything else, it would be the quality of the groove. People like music that makes them move.

It's still not clear to me whether this is a wallpaper gig or a dance venue... that might be one to discuss with the owner/booker. Maybe it's a wallpaper gig (so-called "dinner jazz") till the kitchen closes then turns into a dance gig? i.e. just like every wedding you've ever played :-)

Addendum: Playing at a high level is not orthogonal to pleasing the crowd. You can certainly please the crowd while also bringing blazing musicianship to any tune. I don't want to highjack this thread by posting OT videos, but the vids by bands like Dirty Loops and The Smoking Section are examples.

[rpjazzguitar]

Spot on.

It's still not clear to me whether this is a wallpaper gig or a dance venue... .

First set is pretty much a restaurant gig. Second set, the wine bar aspect is more prominent. No dance floor, although sometimes people will dance anyway.

[DawgBone]

Jazz hasn't really been entertainment since WWII. Everyone wants to be an "artist" and not an entertainer now.

[starjasmine]

First set is pretty much a restaurant gig. Second set, the wine bar aspect is more prominent. No dance floor, although sometimes people will dance anyway.

Sounds like you described the sitch pretty accurately in your first post: people come there to hang out & converse. After they get a few in them, some want to dance. But others are still there to drink and converse. So there is an inherent conflict between being wallpaper and being "entertainment." Based on that, I'd say some low-key interaction with the peeps would be good for your second set; you don't have to go overboard - unless the place stays open late and really does turn into a drinking bar, in which case more entertaining interaction is appropriate and maybe even expected.

Maybe thinking about what brings people there in the first place could give you ideas for bringing more people to your gig. Is it a destination wine bar with a huge selection and sommeliers who can guide a tasting experience? (wallpaper gig! Keep it classy and make the patrons feel classy.) Is it a fern bar tucked away in a hotel where the out-of-towners wander down from their rooms to check out the in-house bar? (be as entertaining as you like. Help the strangers have fun and meet each other.) Is it nestled amongst other local businesses where people pop in after they go shopping? (cross promote: put your flyer in those other businesses - maybe get the respective owners to offer each others' customers a discount; i.e. get a free glass of wine with your receipt from The Nail Emporium.) Is it in a busy entertainment district with people bar-hopping from one joint to the next? (Again, cross-post your flyer and get the owners of the respective bars to offer discounts on drinks or cover charges.)

This is goofy but - start a band "club card." Anyone who comes to see you gets their card punched. On the 5th visit, buy them a glass of wine. Yeah, this will cost some money eventually, but by the time you are buying those drinks, your crowd (and your pay, theoretically) will have grown.

And... what are the hours of the gig? 6-9pm is a different gig than 10p-1a.

HTH

[starjasmine]

Jazz hasn't really been entertainment since WWII. Everyone wants to be an "artist" and not an entertainer now.

Key words here are "wannabe."
Pros know that the audience is who pays their check.
You seem like you've gigged plenty - I've no doubt that you are an entertainer first and an "artiste" second.

[RLetson]

I keep thinking of that video of Ted Greene playing at a wedding, making wonderful music while the social machinery operates all around him.

FWIW, and from a different segment of the music/entertainment biz: I'm part of a folk society that puts on concerts in a small informal restaurant and a church, so I get to see how performers behave in those environments. And, of course, the folk/Americana scene has a different history and vibe from the jazz scene. Nevertheless, in a small-scale setting, I suspect that listeners are not only listening (our venues are strongly listening-room) but interested in connecting with the musicians, and the artists we book are equally interested in engaging their audiences directly and spontaneously. Which is pretty easy when the back wall is only about 35 feet away and the closest booth abuts the stage. And even in the church, with the artist in the sanctuary and the audience in the pews, most performers act as though they were in a smaller room and carry on as though conversation were possible. (Recently watched John Gorka act as though the 150 people in the audience were in his living room.)

The settings and audiences and general vibe for jazz culture does differ, but in a venue smaller than a concert hall, I suspect that listeners (as distinct from diners or serious drinkers or guys hoping to get lucky) welcome the primate-social experience of engaging with artists. The non-regulars who drop into the weekly lounge gig where I'm tolerated as a sit-in certainly seem to welcome the informal sense of connection on offer from the band.

[DawgBone]

Key words here are "wannabe."
Pros know that the audience is who pays their check.
You seem like you've gigged plenty - I've no doubt that you are an entertainer first and an "artiste" second.

The audience tips, the club owner/manager cuts the check. Entertainment is what I'm providing. I had a club owner tell me point blank he could hire a top 40 type band and it would make him more money in drink sales than any of the other bands he hires but he doesn't want a bar fly/drunken atmosphere when there is a family friendly and and arts culture environment he is trying to foster. You can mix your artistry with entertainment more and stay truer to yourself and whatever vision you might have but it definitely is going to cost you gigs. That's my experience. I am living where I am specifically because that is (somewhat) less of a problem for the music I like to play.

[emanresu]

Hm. Artist vs. Entertainer vs. Wannabe of some sort

[DawgBone]

What we've done to try to build an audience:

FB announcements and mailing list. These steps need to be taken adequately in advance, so that people hear about the gig before it occurs.

Website with pics, audio clips and a couple of videos.

Outreach to likely venues.

Appropriate dress.

My view is that on a night we're playing at a venue, we are in partnership with the owner. Our interests are compatible. We both want a room full of happy people. It's way more fun to play for an enthusiastic audience, or, so I think. One of my band members cares less about that than about playing the songs he wants to play.

After a couple of years playing all-instrumental music with some success, but not enough IMO, we got a singer and another band member started singing. Now we have vocals on most of our tunes. Remains to be seen how much audiences respond. Early indications are positive.

We're usually hired to play Brazilian jazz, but the band is bored with simple bossas so we play a lot of stuff that the lay audience usually doesn't know (I've posted a bunch of tracks in the Showcase section of this forum). The band has performed nearly 200 different tunes over the last three years. Probably too many. The decision about how much to focus on familiar (and/or easier) music is one that divides the band.

Perhaps surprisingly, we recently took a rock gig (a friend of a band member wanted this band, no matter what). It went great and the band loved it. That did not make everybody want to do it again.

We put in a novelty treatment of a tune, partly for laughs. Audience is attentive. It seems to work.

Got rid of the music stands and went with Ipads. I play on a raised stool -- I ride a volume pedal constantly, which I can't do standing up. And, having the Ipads low enough to leave the visual lines open is important. Good point about that.

We have even brought in some decorations for the stage.

The band is split on how much to talk to the audience. Some say it's better not to talk (and I've heard that from some audience members). I think it's good to talk a bit if you've got something interesting or amusing to say - and not to do it shyly. What ends up happening is that people who came to hear the band like it. People who came for dinner and want to converse are probably annoyed by it. Personally, I usually like it, unless the performer is rambling on. I like it when the band reveals themselves to the audience, usually with banter.

I've been thinking about the word "set" vs the word "show". Can we be entertaining enough that we can think of what we do as a "show", not a "set"?

I haven't said much about the quality of the music. We work hard on that and then it is what it is. If I had to pick only one thing to focus on to build an audience, more than anything else, it would be the quality of the groove. People like music that makes them move. I'm not as good at it as I'd like to be, but it can be an elusive thing to work on.

I got my bluetooth working again today so I took a good listen to your video. You probably won't care for my critique but hopefully I am not being excessively harsh but hey you asked...

You had a good groove going but if that sax player plays that cool all night that dog don't hunt. I hope he is heating things up now and again. And your drummer should have a solo spot at some point in the night. People love drum solos and they love some wailing saxophone even if it's on a slow burn. And they love good female singers. Those are attention grabbing elements.

You were half mumbling into the mic at spots. Be a commanding presence on the microphone or don't get on the mic. Talk over the din and enunciate so you can be clearly heard. Otherwise no one is going to listen to you.

Your singer is very talented and is also easy on the eyes so there is your actual stage decor. She should be doing all the talking and introductions. She should def talk to the audience and she should be stage center as much as possible. This is beyond obvious to me and pretty much one big reason bands hire female singers. Additional attention. She should be standing and not behind anything but a micirophone stand.

If you want a "show" instead of a set decide on a smaller group of your better songs and stick more to that and keep downtime between songs to a minimum. And get rid of those damn i pods. Those look like complete dog shit and the same goes for music stands. It's not a rehearsal room and you aren't a 15 piece orchestra. People bag on me for saying that but I don't care. That looks like a garbage throw together and the only other place I see it is with tools on a stool solo acts, top 40 cover bands, or just people who haven't taken the time to commit material to memory so that's not an image I would want to project to the crowd.

Consider setting up a couple medleys and maybe even mash up something current and popular with a suitable standard if you want to grab attention. The wine bar is a proving ground. Same with hipster breweries cause those types of places generally ignore the bands as a matter of procedure. Hopefully something positive can be drawn from my statements. Good luck.