Playing "Bitches Brew" free jazz for frat-guys...

Lewis7789 · #1 09-23-2006, 01:02 PM

My jazz quartet has a friday gig from 7-10pm at a great bar/sandwich shop here in Kent, OH. The owner is a great guy and loves jazz and we like playing there because we can play whatever we want. BUT, we're a little out of place when all the thug wannabees and tough frat-guys come in. They want to hear hard rock and metal, but we're a jazz band. We're not a live karoke machine or jukebox.
So we had a guest trumpet player play a few tunes with us and he was smoking. So we got the two trumpet players on stage with us and started with some free jazz. I love free jazz, so we played that for a few minutes and one guy got off his seat at the bar and came up to the band and started clapping his hands like we didn't know what rythym was. It make me crack up! So he looked right at me while clapping his hands loudly so I could find the beat of this crazy song, because obviuosly I was lost and needed his help. So I just looked at him back and shook my head "no, no.". His face was hilarious! He was so pissed off...
So then I started paying that bassline in the middle of Miles Davis' "Bitches Brew". The drummer jumped right in with me and the trumpets players smiled from ear to ear. We gave it a nice hard groove and played it while the tumpeters took turns wailing away. The pissed off frat guy started clapping loudly and yelling "Yeah, dat's what I'm talkin 'bout!".
That momment is certainly in my top 5 favorite times of playing live music. For the band to make someone so angry and 5 minutes later, so happy, was certainly eye opening about how improv jazz can be very emotional and inspirational, not only to the players, but the audience.
After we were all packed up and about to leave, the owner came out to pay us and gave us a raise. He said he really like the Miles... Needless to say, there will be some more free jazz for the frat-guys next week.

Rick Brienzo · #2 09-23-2006, 01:08 PM

Thats funny. At least that gut didn't want to get up and sing

markjazzbassist · #3 09-23-2006, 01:29 PM

next time you do some gigs let me know. i live in cleveland and would love to hear you guys.

gotta love the frat dudes.

dhadleyray · #4 09-23-2006, 01:49 PM

I just bought that record yesterday for the first time, I love jazz and play it quite a bit, but, I must admit that after listening to side one, it seems like a recorded jam session. Somewhat wandering and aimless.

I own most of Mile's stuff, but I always wanted the Bitches brew cd. I hope it'll grow on me, but it isn't something I'm getting any enjoyment out of yet. In fact, it's hard listening...

and I play everything from Spain, and bye, bye, blackbird, to Stratus.

I'll applaud anyone that digs this, but damn... it ain't an enjoyable experience. Which, ironically, is what most people say about jazz generally. (to which I disagree, I might add!)

BartmanPDX · #5 09-23-2006, 02:29 PM

Sometimes it takes a while to get into music that's that advanced and complex.

The first few times I heard the Coltrane album "Transition," I hated it. It didn't "make sense." After I'd heard it a few times, though, I finally "got" what he was doing. Now it's one of my favorite jazz albums.

Lewis7789 · #6 09-23-2006, 02:38 PM

Now don't get me wrong, we only playd the one free jazz tune for about 10 minutes. We play jazz standards the rest of the night.

I bought "Bitches Brew" about 6 years ago and only untill about a year ago did I really start to "listen" to it again. I didn't like it at first either. But now I have a lot more respect for free jazz because it really is difficult music to play correctly. The musicians just can't play whatever they want, then it's just rambeling chaos. It takes a lot of control, patience and restraint as a bass player. But it's really fun!

I also really like Medeski, Martin and Woods free jazz stuff. A drummer friend really turned me onto free jazz about a year ago with John Coltrane, Pharoah Sanders, Miles Davis, Nicholas Payton and Dave Douglass.

dhadleyray · #7 09-23-2006, 04:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lewis7789

Now don't get me wrong, we only playd the one free jazz tune for about 10 minutes. We play jazz standards the rest of the night.

Oh, I was worried?!? I thought you possibly did an entire set of "free jazz." I couldn't fanthom the possibility of that! I dig the free jazz and harmomelodic vibe, but I like a little structure as well! Ok, I dig what's up now...

Ale · #8 09-25-2006, 04:02 PM

Hehe , thats funny..
That always happen to me , we do gigs at typical swing-venues , but mostly we also play freebag ..
The old swing-fans always leave the place angry ..

The Owl · #9 09-26-2006, 08:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lewis7789

My jazz quartet has a friday gig from 7-10pm at a great bar/sandwich shop here in Kent, OH. The owner is a great guy and loves jazz and we like playing there because we can play whatever we want. BUT, we're a little out of place when all the thug wannabees and tough frat-guys come in. They want to hear hard rock and metal, but we're a jazz band. We're not a live karoke machine or jukebox.
So we had a guest trumpet player play a few tunes with us and he was smoking. So we got the two trumpet players on stage with us and started with some free jazz. I love free jazz, so we played that for a few minutes and one guy got off his seat at the bar and came up to the band and started clapping his hands like we didn't know what rythym was. It make me crack up! So he looked right at me while clapping his hands loudly so I could find the beat of this crazy song, because obviuosly I was lost and needed his help. So I just looked at him back and shook my head "no, no.". His face was hilarious! He was so pissed off...
So then I started paying that bassline in the middle of Miles Davis' "Bitches Brew". The drummer jumped right in with me and the trumpets players smiled from ear to ear. We gave it a nice hard groove and played it while the tumpeters took turns wailing away. The pissed off frat guy started clapping loudly and yelling "Yeah, dat's what I'm talkin 'bout!".
That momment is certainly in my top 5 favorite times of playing live music. For the band to make someone so angry and 5 minutes later, so happy, was certainly eye opening about how improv jazz can be very emotional and inspirational, not only to the players, but the audience.
After we were all packed up and about to leave, the owner came out to pay us and gave us a raise. He said he really like the Miles... Needless to say, there will be some more free jazz for the frat-guys next week.

ROTFLMAO!!!!!!!

Miles would've been proud of y'all!!