The "bluegrass" stigma

[farmerjones]

Count me as another that has read and extremely enjoyed both books.
Do you think either Frank or Bill would have imagine being discussed together?
My appologies to the OP.

[SincereCorgi]

Hey! I've got one of the 'funny little guitars' also. I am not offended by their ignorance. It's always good for a laugh even if I'm the only one who gets it.

The other day I got: "You play that thing?!" "Yep." (long pause) "...are you Greek?"

[nickster60]

I guess there are certain instruments that are associated with bluegrass. I have played violin for many years and my neighbor across the street plays guitar. He has been listen to me playing classical music for 15 years and every time I see him he says "We should get together and play some bluegrass". About a year ago I got a mandolin so me and wife could play together. Well he heard me playing the mandolin I was playing some gypsy jazz. He came over and said, you guessed it "We should together and play some bluegrass". It was a nice evening and called and asked him if he would like play. He plays in a blues band. They have a hard time getting gigs because 4 of the 5 members are cops. So he asked what are we playing I said lets plays some blues. I thought his jaw was going to hit the floor. He couldn't believe that you could play blues on the mandolin.

[Nelson Peddycoart]

My death metal string quartet has this problem all the time.

[man dough nollij]

My death metal string quartet has this problem all the time.

..

[polkat]

I think a part of the problem is that the average person, that is not involved in music, generally has no real idea just what genre is. They base different types of music on what they visually see (which does make Zappa's statement legit). TV and movies are their references. If they see a mandolinist wearing bib overalls, what can we expect them to think? That's an exaggerated example of course. We also have to make it very clear to the venue what we do, and get feedback from them that they understand. I was in a jazz/rock fusion band in the late 60's and we got booked into a country bar in the sticks one time, that booked us as a country rock band. How we got out of there alive I don't remember. I think that clear communication is the key here.

[KCrook]

I love Bluegrass, but if that is not how you want to be billed, tell them to fix it. I would.

The improper billing could give the wrong perception to those looking for Bluegrass sets, and the crowd could be disappointed. If you are a Jazz group, I would think the last thing you might want to hear is, "Play Blue Moon of Kentucky," shouted at you from the crowd. Unless, of course, you can do it as Jazz .. :-)

[Nelson Peddycoart]

@man dough nollij : Cool!

[D C Blood]

On the other hand, the owner might just be tryin' to tell you what it is he really wants...

[mrmando]

"Jazzy Bluegrass with 2 local musicians."

The part that bothers me more than "Jazzy Bluegrass" is that the winery folks apparently don't know how many people are in your trio.

[Mike Bunting]

I seem to remember an article somewhere comparing and listing the similarities in the development of bebop and bluegrass. The "founders" as it were, were rural people coming to the large cities, they both had standards upon which to improvise hot solos etc. Anyone else know of it or can redirect us to it. Seems sort of relevant to some of the last posts on this thread.

[Mike Bunting]

I found a link, John McGann probably knows of this.
http://www.berklee.edu/news/213/pres...goes-bluegrass

[farmerjones]

Thanks for the link. Good reading.

It's funny how Music talked about needs validation, but Music played speaks for itself.

[John Rosett]

The part that bothers me more than "Jazzy Bluegrass" is that the winery folks apparently don't know how many people are in your trio.

Or our names.

[Dan Johnson]

this is a great thread so far and timely for me... I like what Jaime said about talking to the owner, and how important it is to define your context and your audience... and also what John said about Frank Zappa and the identity of music... I am currently playing with a guitarist and a bassist, too, and we do a lot of standards, but we also do a lot of free improv stuff, as well as blues, swing, and are moving towards some bluegrass...

http://www.archive.org/details/RoomForMilk

Someday it'll all make sense. Until then, where's my bib and beret?!

[nickster60]

Take heart John you do live in Montana,which is a pretty nice place. Maybe you guys need to grow one of those Daddyo goatees and get a beret. That probably wouldn't work either.

[arrowmandolin]

Hey Nickster, where did you get that picture of John?

[Shelby Eicher]

Playing at a nice restaurant, dinner music on mandolin and guitar, we finished a ballad version of It Had To Be You. A lady at a near by table turned at the end of the tune and said, " that's the prettiest Bluegrass I've ever heard." Of course I said, "thank you."
Shelby Eicher

[John Rosett]

Hey Nickster, where did you get that picture of John?

No pony tail though... My original idea with theis band was for us all to wear red berets and call ourselves "The Screwtops". It would be pretty funny playing at the winery.
Of course I have a long history of playing in bands with funny hats.
The whole thing is more amusing than irratating most of the time. Gigs are scarce for a jazz trio in Missoula to begin with, and we've been cultivating this venue. We have been playing for tips, but I think that we've convinced them through the amount of people showing up that they should pay us too. Next, I'm going to talk to the writer for the paper. You have to be very careful when talking to the music writers so you don't offend them. They're sensitive...

[arrowmandolin]

Have any of you ever seen the Red Elvises?
Man, talk about a genre busting band, everyone in the band plays a red balalika- including a really big bass one.
My current favorite instrument to play out is a 5-string tenor guitar with an Armstrong humbucker. NOBODY know what that is, it's very refreshing.
Last night we covered fiddle tunes to funk.

[man dough nollij]

..

[John Rosett]

Paul, I always loved that 5 string guitar that you made for Ray Wood. I just can't play guitar sized instruments tuned in 5ths, my fingers want to play guitar chords.

[John Morton]

I like what John McGann writes about "good music is for everybody". I'm part of a clarinet/guitar duo that plays in a coffeehouse during a monthly art walk event. Much of the audience comes for the paintings on the wall behind us, not for the music. And it turns out they really like the music, and they ask us, "just what exactly is that music you're playing, I really like it". Sometimes I say, "It's _good_ music!". Or I explain that it's just old popular music, 1900 to 1930, mostly. Jelly Roll, Jimmie Noone, Irving Berlin, W.C. Handy, the ragtime composers. It helps that this stuff is so long forgotten that it no longer fits one of the slots, and nobody thinks they know what it should sound like.

John, if someone else writes your blurb, you're in trouble. But there's also the matter of the name - I'm sure you've thought of this. If it says anything rural or mountainous, folks will come expecting bluegrass. If you're Throbbing Gristle, you'll get a completely different crowd. Mainstream jazz is usually the leader's name, "The John Rosett Trio". Boring. We all know how difficult it is to commit to a band name, because it takes a long time to explore all the connotations.

John

[mrmando]

Let's have another "Name the Band" thread! Bonus points for names that are specific to Montana.

Old Men and Ashes
A Trickle Runs Through It
Lakehead Flats
Sheep on the Fence

[man dough nollij]

Bitterroute 66?