Being entertaining.

[rpjazzguitar]

This is about how people feel about the need for a band to be entertaining and how to do it better.

One ground rule for the discussion. Nothing about playing better, please. We already thought of that and we're doing our best.

Playing instrumental jazz on tunes people don't know does not seem like an obvious path to entertainment success for the journeyman level player, or am I missing something?

How do you think about it?

Quiet restaurant type gigs?

Bigger, louder gigs?

[Tim Clark]

1. Play tunes that most people are familiar with.

2. Sing. Most people prefer music with vocals over instrumental music.

3. Smile and acknowledge people in the audience, even if it is a BGM gig and you don't speak to them directly.

4. On breaks, make yourself available to meet and talk with audience members rather than just hanging with the band.

[AllanAllen]

If you aren’t already playing banger known tunes like Take Five and Impanema, you need to start. Other than repertoire, get a strap so you
can dance and move to feel the music,
look up and smile at people watching you play.


If I go see a band and they look bored, I’m going home and I’m never seeing them again.

[digger]

Great idea for a thread.

First of all you need to make a decision on your direction and, that done, you then need to "know" your audience.

So, are you going to plough an original furrow, a particular style/era, or maybe you're going to be a sort of jazz show band?

Each choice, and the associated audience that you'd naturally attract would then determine things you could do to be more entertaining.

If you're ploughing an original furrow and want to do something new and unique you will likely attract jazz and music afficiandos who would potentially appreciate the unusual and the originality and, say, the outside playing. Whereas, if you're happy to play a selection of jazz greatest hits from all eras and styles you're probably going to attract a more "general public" sort of crowd and they may be more entertained by keeping close to the melody and being "traditionally" entertaining - standing, smiling, making eye contact, engaging with the crowd, having fun with them, all that. If you're going for a specific style, say New Orleans jazz or bebop, or gypsy swing, then the tradition itself will determine what the audience expects and thus will entertain them.

A good singer is great, but maybe not for a background music gig, same with talking to the audience, standing up, etc.

So one rule doesn't fit all. You have to decide what you want first, and then build the show, and book the gigs, accordingly.

Derek

[AllanAllen]

If all else fails watch the Frank Vignola live streams and copy him.

[Bob_Ross]

If I go see a band and they look bored, I’m going home and I’m never seeing them again.

What if they look like they're concentrating?

[AllanAllen]

What if they look like they're concentrating?

What if they poop their pants?

[RJVB]

If all else fails watch the Frank Vignola live streams and copy him.

You say that in a thread about being entertaining ... or do his jokes make you laugh?

[rpjazzguitar]

Here's something that has come up.

Consider a restaurant gig. People are eating and conversing. So, there's some pressure to be quiet wallpaper.

OTOH, the owner wants the band to bring in a crowd. Hard to do playing ultra-quiet, instrumental wallpaper.

I won't go into what we did in this situation. I'm just curious how other people think about this sort of thing.

[AllanAllen]

Here's something that has come up.

Consider a restaurant gig. People are eating and conversing. So, there's some pressure to be quiet wallpaper.

OTOH, the owner wants the band to bring in a crowd. Hard to do playing ultra-quiet, instrumental wallpaper.

I won't go into what we did in this situation. I'm just curious how other people think about this sort of thing.

The owner needs to decide if the business is a restaurant with live music or a concert hall with food.

One generates income on the food, the other generates income on the bands/beer. It’s a sliding scale, but a band that draws doesn’t play wallpaper gigs.

[Bob_Ross]

What if they poop their pants?

Well, you wouldn't even need to watch them to know they'd succeeded, so you might not even know whether or not they "looked bored"?
But so long as they don't "look bored" while they're pooping their pants, you're going to stay for the whole set, right?

[rpjazzguitar]

The owner needs to decide if the business is a restaurant with live music or a concert hall with food.

One generates income on the food, the other generates income on the bands/beer. It’s a sliding scale, but a band that draws doesn’t play wallpaper gigs.

An owner may want the band to bring in customers without irritating the customers he already has who want to converse. That may seem to involve an internal contradiction, but, in fact, an owner can make that happen.

As far as a band which draws not playing wallpaper gigs ... I don't know a band which won't take a well-enough paid wallpaper gig.

Where I end up is where I started with this thread. How do people approach the issue of being entertaining? Several posters have advanced good ideas.

[Doublea A]

This is about how people feel about the need for a band to be entertaining and how to do it better.

One ground rule for the discussion. Nothing about playing better, please. We already thought of that and we're doing our best.

Playing instrumental jazz on tunes people don't know does not seem like an obvious path to entertainment success for the journeyman level player, or am I missing something?

How do you think about it?

Quiet restaurant type gigs?

Bigger, louder gigs?

I will sometimes give a little history about selected songs. The “John Pizzarelli” rule is say something every 3 songs or so.
I will say something like:

“This next tune was written by _________ and it appeared in the 1943 musical entitled __________ . In the musical, (insert scenario).

I find that this helps to give the audience some context, even if they are not familiar with the song.

I hope that helps

AA


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[AllanAllen]

An owner may want the band to bring in customers without irritating the customers he already has who want to converse. That may seem to involve an internal contradiction, but, in fact, an owner can make that happen.

As far as a band which draws not playing wallpaper gigs ... I don't know a band which won't take a well-enough paid wallpaper gig.

Where I end up is where I started with this thread. How do people approach the issue of being entertaining? Several posters have advanced good ideas.

I think you’ve gotten good info but you twisted it up so much with “what about” that you think it’s not helpful.

[JazzPadd]

There’s different contexts and expectations at play here, and I appreciate the diversity of the responses, even if they all don’t apply directly to what I’m doing.

The “Pizzarelli Rule,” as noted above, works well in my limited experience. Mostly, I play for a Japanese speaking audience and when there’s a front person they seem to handle that banter well.

When I do a solo guitar set, I’ll work out in advance some things to say in Japanese. This includes niceties, song notes / anecdotes, etc. which in themselves can be entertaining since I’m not fluent!

I also bring a couple of artworks from friends to put on stage. For my “Stars Medley,” I borrowed a couple of small paintings with stars in them from a friend’s 3 daughters, ages 4, 6 and 8. For my “Echoes of Jobim” suite, I used a small painting from a Brazilian friend, and for another set I asked a friend to hand draw the set list, which I displayed on stage, and small copies of which were distributed at the venue as well as for advance advertising. None of this exciting, but it does have some entertainment value, mainly if I refer to them briefly.

Those are intimate sets of less than 30 people. For a larger set, background, clothing and gear seem to offer entertainment value. For my recent “Beatles Suite,” performed for over 120 people, I sat on stage in front of the curtain, which was designed by a regional artist, wore some Asian-style clothing, and played my unusual moon shaped guitar.

The above are occasional events, so I can put in some prep time. For the weekly jazz jam sessions that I attend, while waiting my turn to play I’ll mingle and chit-chat with others, which seems to impart an entertaining vibe for those there in any given week.

[rpjazzguitar]

There’s different contexts and expectations at play here, and I appreciate the diversity of the responses, even if they all don’t apply directly to what I’m doing..

Thank you for sharing these creative ideas. I can see how they can help.

[starjasmine]

Here's something that has come up.

Consider a restaurant gig. People are eating and conversing. So, there's some pressure to be quiet wallpaper.

OTOH, the owner wants the band to bring in a crowd. Hard to do playing ultra-quiet, instrumental wallpaper.

On the subject of being entertaining, some interaction with the crowd is pretty much always better than none. But how much interaction to shoot for depends on what sort of venue it is and what the owner is looking for, as well as what feels right to you and your band. Dirty jokes and lots of interaction are great for a T40 cover gig at the local juke joint, maybe not so much for the toney restaurant where people are showing up dressed to the nines to drop $350-500 on dinner for two. If this is truly a wallpaper gig, "being entertaining" means playing tunes that the audience knows, not talking to them. Mix some audience favorites or crowd-pleasers into your set, if not making these the majority of what you play. Your typical Sunday jazz brunch setlist would have a more jazzified pop tunes and smooth jazz than Giant Steps.

According to your words in the OP, the owner hasn't asked you to "be entertaining", he's asked you to "bring in a crowd". Of course, what brings in a crowd depends on the gig and the band. (Nobody went to see Miles because he told great jokes between tunes:-)) So, figure out what brings people to this venue and give them more of it... i.e. if they are looking for an elegant evening out, make a tux gig of it, even if the booker isn't asking for that. If it's a casual place that is low-key and fun, dress that way and liven up your set with a few jokes and other audience interactions.

The classic way to bring in a crowd is for the band to have a name and a following that shows up anywhere they play. This is a long-term strategy, of course, but one worth investing in. If you are a rotating group of musicians treating this as a casual, then pick a band name under which to promote the gig, and play under that name no matter which of the core members are present or getting subbed.

Then, with an identity to promote, advertise every gig this band plays. Start with free, low-entry venues like Craigslist, Facebook, Insta, and the KSCM Jazz Datebook. Create a not-cheesy flyer and (with the owner's permission) post it in the lobby of the venue, so that people stopping by for food, drinks, happy hour, whatever know that Joe Blow and the Mighty Bosstones are going to play there every Thursday from 6-9 pm. Post all your gigs on a monthly calendar flyer that you post in all the venues you play, so that your gigs cross-promote each other.

Similar to sticking a fiver in the tip jar before anyone is even in the house, juice your attendance by getting a few friends to show up the next time you play. If you have a trio and each bandmember gets two couples to show up, that's a dozen people at your gig that weren't at somebody else's. Always be promoting your gig. Tell your students, people at your day gig or assisted-living community ;-) and hand your flyer out to random strangers in the grocery store. 99% of these people won't show up, but some will, boosting your numbers and boosting the restaurant owner's profits. That is key - friends who show up at the bar gig and don't drink are a liability, and friends who show up at your restaurant gig should at least order some appetizers and drinks. The last thing you want is to pack the house with non-paying customers. That won't go over well with management.

Restaurant gigs are not big, loud gigs. The bigger and louder the gig is, the more you need it to be a well-rehearsed SHOW. If the audience will have their full attention focused on you, you need to provide an experience, not just play tunes. Those gigs are not just music, but Entertainment with a capital E. Bring your electric boots and your mohair suit.

$0.02, HTH...

SJ

[rpjazzguitar]

On the subject of being entertaining, some interaction with the crowd is pretty much always better than none. But how much interaction to shoot for depends on what sort of venue it is and what the owner is looking for, as well as what feels right to you and your band. Dirty jokes and lots of interaction are great for a T40 cover gig at the local juke joint, maybe not so much for the toney restaurant where people are showing up dressed to the nines to drop $350-500 on dinner for two. If this is truly a wallpaper gig, "being entertaining" means playing tunes that the audience knows, not talking to them. Mix some audience favorites or crowd-pleasers into your set, if not making these the majority of what you play. Your typical Sunday jazz brunch setlist would have a more jazzified pop tunes and smooth jazz than Giant Steps.

According to your words in the OP, the owner hasn't asked you to "be entertaining", he's asked you to "bring in a crowd". Of course, what brings in a crowd depends on the gig and the band. (Nobody went to see Miles because he told great jokes between tunes:-)) So, figure out what brings people to this venue and give them more of it... i.e. if they are looking for an elegant evening out, make a tux gig of it, even if the booker isn't asking for that. If it's a casual place that is low-key and fun, dress that way and liven up your set with a few jokes and other audience interactions.

The classic way to bring in a crowd is for the band to have a name and a following that shows up anywhere they play. This is a long-term strategy, of course, but one worth investing in. If you are a rotating group of musicians treating this as a casual, then pick a band name under which to promote the gig, and play under that name no matter which of the core members are present or getting subbed.

Then, with an identity to promote, advertise every gig this band plays. Start with free, low-entry venues like Craigslist, Facebook, Insta, and the KSCM Jazz Datebook. Create a not-cheesy flyer and (with the owner's permission) post it in the lobby of the venue, so that people stopping by for food, drinks, happy hour, whatever know that Joe Blow and the Mighty Bosstones are going to play there every Thursday from 6-9 pm. Post all your gigs on a monthly calendar flyer that you post in all the venues you play, so that your gigs cross-promote each other.

Similar to sticking a fiver in the tip jar before anyone is even in the house, juice your attendance by getting a few friends to show up the next time you play. If you have a trio and each bandmember gets two couples to show up, that's a dozen people at your gig that weren't at somebody else's. Always be promoting your gig. Tell your students, people at your day gig or assisted-living community ;-) and hand your flyer out to random strangers in the grocery store. 99% of these people won't show up, but some will, boosting your numbers and boosting the restaurant owner's profits. That is key - friends who show up at the bar gig and don't drink are a liability, and friends who show up at your restaurant gig should at least order some appetizers and drinks. The last thing you want is to pack the house with non-paying customers. That won't go over well with management.

Restaurant gigs are not big, loud gigs. The bigger and louder the gig is, the more you need it to be a well-rehearsed SHOW. If the audience will have their full attention focused on you, you need to provide an experience, not just play tunes. Those gigs are not just music, but Entertainment with a capital E. Bring your electric boots and your mohair suit.

$0.02, HTH...

SJ

Thanks for all that! Makes complete sense. We've done a lot of it, but you gave me some new ideas.

[digger]

There's always the simple option of asking oneself what one finds entertaining, and more importantly, why.

As musicians, and more specifically, jazz guitar players, we may be entertained by something as simple as a really good player.

But are non-musicians as easily entertained by nothing but great playing?

I suspect some appreciate it, but the majority couldn't give two hoots (or only give a hoot for a few choruses) which is why it's so tempting to fall back on other things - like playing the "greatest hits" of whatever genre you're in, or indeed genre-ing up standard top forty hits and turning them into swing or bop or finger style jazz arrangements. And this may well be a good tactic to increase your entertaining level.

But, at what cost?

If you have a vision or a desire to say something or play certain music or be true to your inner-self then you may find yourself very quickly disenchanted within the deal you have made with the entertainment devil.

On the other hand, a couple of gigs every weekend, some nice pocket money, and lots of ego stroking comments might be plenty of recompense for playing music that you mightn't really want to, and in another life, wouldn't have done.

So, cool arrangements of hits, jazz and otherwise, in whatever style your ensemble plays in, with solos sticking to the melodies and some fun and amusing quotes may up your entertainment value considerably, so long as you're not looking to impress other musicians with your great interpretations...

Again, know your audience.

Derek

[Litterick]

Humphrey Lyttelton:

The trombonist Bill Harris, for some years a star of the Woody Herman Orchestra, was an inveterate practical joker. The orchestra was once booked to do a stage show that involved dancers who, at a certain point, made their entrance down a wide ramp that effectively split the band down the middle. Finding himself seated right next to the ramp, Harris was presented with irresistible temptation. The show ran for several nights. By the time it came to the final night, Bill Harris had equipped himself with one of those wooden toy ducks with loose legs that enable it to waddle down a slope.

In every show, Woody Herman would play his own special feature, a slow, sentimental ballad on alto saxophone. On this night, when the solo reached its most sensitive moment, Bill put the duck on the slope and gave it a gentle shove. It duly waddled into the spotlight, quacking loudly.

Humphrey Lyttelton.
It Just Occurred To Me: the reminiscences & thoughts of Chairman Humph.
London: Robson, 2007, p 44.

[GuyBoden]

Humphrey Lyttelton:

The trombonist Bill Harris, for some years a star of the Woody Herman Orchestra, was an inveterate practical joker. The orchestra was once booked to do a stage show that involved dancers who, at a certain point, made their entrance down a wide ramp that effectively split the band down the middle. Finding himself seated right next to the ramp, Harris was presented with irresistible temptation. The show ran for several nights. By the time it came to the final night, Bill Harris had equipped himself with one of those wooden toy ducks with loose legs that enable it to waddle down a slope.

In every show, Woody Herman would play his own special feature, a slow, sentimental ballad on alto saxophone. On this night, when the solo reached its most sensitive moment, Bill put the duck on the slope and gave it a gentle shove. It duly waddled into the spotlight, quacking loudly.

Humphrey Lyttelton.
It Just Occurred To Me: the reminiscences & thoughts of Chairman Humph.
London: Robson, 2007, p 44.

I'm sorry I haven't a clue.

[Doublea A]

I will sometimes give a little history about selected songs. The “John Pizzarelli” rule is say something every 3 songs or so.
I will say something like:

“This next tune was written by _________ and it appeared in the 1943 musical entitled __________ . In the musical, (insert scenario).

I find that this helps to give the audience some context, even if they are not familiar with the song.

I hope that helps

AA


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Here is a screenshot from my iPad. At the top I have written in a little something about the song.

“They can’t take that away from me”

“They can’t take that away from me” is a 1937 popular song with Music by George Gershwin and lyrics by Ira Gershwin. It was introduced by Fred Astaire in the 1937 film “Shall We Dance”.




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[Heybopper]

definitely play standing ( I know Wes sat down) have your iPad really low if reading charts. I got a camera tripod for it so it's only two foot high.
I think the audience wants to see your guitar and your fingers on the fretboard, not a music stand. Be friendly to the staff and customers before during and after the set.
Talk to the audience. Thank them if they clap. Smile when they do. Introduce songs either before or after. Introduce the band. Do it often enough so you can forget about the changes and concentrate on listening and reacting to each other and try to have a good time.

[Doublea A]

definitely play standing ( I know Wes sat down) have your iPad really low if reading charts. I got a camera tripod for it so it's only two foot high.
I think the audience wants to see your guitar and your fingers on the fretboard, not a music stand. Be friendly to the staff and customers before during and after the set.
Talk to the audience. Thank them if they clap. Smile when they do. Introduce songs either before or after. Introduce the band. Do it often enough so you can forget about the changes and concentrate on listening and reacting to each other and try to have a good time.

All good points


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[Mick-7]

Bill Harris had equipped himself with one of those wooden toy ducks with loose legs that enable it to waddle down a slope ... Bill put the duck on the slope and gave it a gentle shove. It duly waddled into the spotlight, quacking loudly.

Good idea! I think I'll mike the duck too....

Singing Dancing Duck
Talking Dancing Duck