What does the audience pay attention to when you play a jazz solo?

[RLetson]

My wife is not a musician, but she has a pretty decent ear--she can spot Monk or Louis or Ry Cooder or Frank or Tony or Ella within a couple bars (she is word-oriented and tends toward singers). What she doesn't much care for is the kind of instrumental soloing she calls "noodling," and I find myself sympathizing, though my threshold of impatience is much higher than hers. Nevertheless, there's a vast middle stretch of jazz performance that I find either uninteresting or impatience-provoking--just uptempo blowing that doesn't tell me anything interesting about the tune. A similar kind of over-busy, over-extended, directionless, and often bombastic playing is one of the reasons I lost interest in a lot of rock back in the 70s.

There is a phenomenon, though, that I long ago noticed in the folk world: crowd-pleasing stunt playing. There are folk-world guitar techniques that are not really technically very challenging but that often get applause when a player applies them. I can enjoy them as part of the performance mix, but I'm pretty sure that the non-players around me are responding to something that is exciting and sounds hard to pull off. But there's much less overt reaction to a beautifully executed legato passage, especially a slow one. And there are players whose entire schtick is built on showy, technically-advanced playing such as the tapping/percussive style that makes technique the point of the performance. An entire set of that material is pretty tiring, even if you're a guitar nerd. (Michael Hedges made it work, but his technique served the compositions, not the other way 'round.)

[kris]

Some tunes are just naturally better than others even when played badly.

Perhaps there are such tunes...
If you play a complicated solo, the selected tune may not matter to the listener.

[ragman1]

Most people don't go to shows they don't think they'll enjoy. More pissed the better probably :-)

[kris]

[frabarmus]

If your solo is melodic and musical, the gals will pay attention.

In my experience the gals (I mean the non musician gals, of course) pay attention to how you dress (or how you look), first and foremost, and if they like that, of course, you play great and you're a wonderful musician!

[frabarmus]

My wife is non musician, hardly ever listens to music (or listens to music I'd rather spare myself listening to).
She once came along with me to a Jim Hall trio concert and spontaneously payed attention. After the gig she said: "Beautiful, it's like Shakespeare!"

So when authentic quality, beauty, "poetry" and depth are there, anyone can tune in and somehow relate to it. They might not be able to explaine it but find their own words to express how they've felt it...

[kris]

My wife is non musician, hardly ever listens to music (or listens to music I'd rather spare myself listening to).
She once came along with me to a Jim Hall trio concert and spontaneously payed attention. After the gig she said: "Beautiful, it's like Shakespeare!"

So when authentic quality, beauty, "poetry" and depth are there, anyone can tune in and somehow relate to it. They might not be able to explaine it but find their own words to express how they've felt it...

I wonder what a woman who is not the wife of a guitarist would say?

[Doug B]

If your solo is a chops display, the men will pay attention.

A dozen men in the audience will sit there with their arms crossed and think" I could have played that solo better!"

[charlieparker]

I tried both, either case the gals paid attention to the bass player.

So they say. I was playing bass in this rock band and I was blown away by our guitarist and I was just playing some simple groove and this woman came up to us and said how good the bass sounded!

[charlieparker]

But in all seriousness, I think you need a good ear to appreciate Jazz music. I had a former gf who had a better ear than me, played in band in h.s. and could sing John Coltrane solos pitch perfect and really enjoyed live Jazz concerts.

The problem with a lot of Jazz is the solos and songs are too long. Most improvisers don't have enough to say to solo for multiple choruses. 1 or 2 choruses are enough and the set list should have a variety of tempos, keys, and feel.

I saw Martino in concert and honestly it was difficult to make it through the entire set. I was exhausted by the end.

[nyc chaz]

But in all seriousness, I think you need a good ear to appreciate Jazz music. I had a former gf who could had a better ear than me, played in band in h.s. and could sing John Coltrane solos pitch perfect and really enjoyed live Jazz concerts.

The problem with a lot of Jazz is the solos and songs are too long. Most improvisers don't have enough to say to solo for multiple choruses. 1 or 2 choruses are enough and the set list should have a variety of tempos, keys, and feel.

I saw Martino in concert and honestly it was difficult to make it through the entire set. I was exhausted by the end.

If jazz performers only listened to your advice,there would be more than one to two percent of the population listening to jazz and going to jazz concerts.

[garybaldy]

I wonder what a woman who is not the wife of a guitarist would say?

"Why didn't they play something I know?" or "They should have sung a few" or "They were so funny, I love their jokes".

[Doug B]

"Why didn't they play something I know?"

(Like Taylor Swift or Michael Jackson? )

[AKA]

[AKA]

……. The problem with a lot of Jazz is the solos and songs are too long. Most improvisers don't have enough to say to solo for multiple choruses. 1 or 2 choruses are enough and the set list should have a variety of tempos, keys, and feel.

I saw Martino in concert and honestly it was difficult to make it through the entire set. I was exhausted by the end.

Years ago my daughters took me to see Sonny Rollins as a birthday gift. 20 minutes into his second solo we all looked at each other and agreed it was time to go.

[pauln]

(Like Taylor Swift or Michael Jackson? )

Put this in the set list a while back, people love it (composed by Stevie Wonder)

[kris]

Put this in the set list a while back, people love it (composed by Stevie Wonder)

It's not about playing a well-known pop song.
Here I mean more an improvisational-solo of a jazz character.

[brent.h]

Put this in the set list a while back, people love it (composed by Stevie Wonder)

I love this tune. Actually this whole album is amazing.

[garybaldy]

It's not about playing a well-known pop song.
Here I mean more an improvisational-solo of a jazz character.

All jazz tunes were pop songs once.

[kris]

All jazz tunes were pop songs once.

But I guess not pop-rock...?:-)

[pauln]

It's a tune people love, and because
Stevie Wonder wrote it it's delightful,
full of beautiful changes; a fine basis
for bebop improvisation. I like it a lot.

[garybaldy]

But I guess not pop-rock...?:-)

They forgot to tell Joe Pass.

[kris]

They forgot to tell Joe Pass.

If I had the opportunity, I would tell him....

[DawgBone]

This thread seems to be on a downward TGP style trajectory.

[Christian Miller]

All jazz tunes were pop songs once.

Old pop styles are now jazz

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