The Challenge of the Societal Gig

I played a gig last night, and it was difficult.  Why was it difficult?  It was difficult not only because it entailed moving a lot of equipment, but it was a challenging crowd for which to play.  Can you imagine providing musical accompaniment for the Scottish Clans of Cape Fear?  Necessarily this is a Scot event, and there is Tartan aplenty.  Kilts, swords, flags, and haggis all were in the midst, and I knew this ahead of time.  I meagerly collected a modest set of Scottish tunes and felt they were sufficient as a theme that would influence my tune selection on the fly.  I planned to return to the theme from "The Flower of Scotland" as glue that would hold together my sets.  I also included "Loch Lomond" and appropriately played these as a dirge or rather straight as a marching procession.  It was supposed to have a ceremonial feel, because there was pageantry involved in the event.  They presented the colors, we sang the national anthem, and there were introductions.  Playing Scottish folk music on an electric piano may not have been a great idea, but it's how you play it.  In retrospect I think they were a little insulted that I tried my hand at their personal tunes.  That isn't democratic, but America is not a metaphor for ethnic diversity.  Conversely we have transformed into a separatist, tribal, factional nation, and Donald Trump largely is responsible.  We have lost sight of how to live in diversity, a far cry from Hillary Clinton's "It Takes a Village."  Multiculturalism was a main them of the Clinton Presidency, and clearly I remember marked improvements in the quality of life of Americans.  Now we have become paranoid of immigrants, and it is possible some are exploiting American generosity.  Integrating never has been easy, and it has become more difficult in the vacuum of the absence of Martin Luther King and Kennedy Clan.  Ted just slipped out without much ado.  We need positive example in America, and there are few.  The current trend is to bash the American President, and it is unconscionable.  Surprisingly the majority of their rhetoric about Joe Biden is not true.  It is not factual.  It is a product from the loins of Donald Trump, pure lies with no intent except to slander truth.  This is the political dynamic in which we live.  My job was to make the best of a challenging societal event, and that meant providing meaningful background music which was worthy of listening.  It was hit and miss.  In retrospect I realized my shortcomings.  In the back of my mind I knew it was a challenging crowd, because jazz-based cocktail or background music is in the minority in America.  We hear little jazz, and with the Covid shutdown societal events stopped.  What little warm and bubbly cocktail music happening quickly evaporated.  I opted to try the Scottish heart, but I failed.  While I played these tunes adequately and with appropriate sentiment, establishing any sentiment in this crowd is difficult.  That is because they are from different walks of life.  The major influencing musical dynamic in Fayetteville has been the Fayetteville Symphony Orchestra.  I love orchestral music, and I have studied it at the doctoral level.  On the other hand I don't play this repertoire when I play piano. Although I was classically trained, I could not wait to learn to play jazz.  This was because of its swing.   That means the bulk of my piano playing ability comes from rhythmic feel.  Playing Scottish folk tunes straight is like playing a hymn in church, but I have played spiritual melodies at the function before.  Sometimes the melody itself is enough to establish emotional communication.  The priority of this event is to stay in the background.  Whatever you do play quietly behind the voices of the guests.  Pay attention if they are listening and dynamically adjust your playing to respond to their reactions.  This is called "Playing the room."  I was naive to think I may be able to do this, because it was such a diverse group and the major dynamic of the party was Scottish sentiment.  The overt musical entertainment of the evening was a bagpipe and drum outfit.  There were six bagpipes, two tenor drums and two snares.  There was one bass drum.  All were marching instruments, because much of European folk music was based on war.  Marching is key.  I could not play cocktail music in this style, so I tried to mix it up.  Always you have try to establish a mood upon which to play, and always it is difficult.  Previously at this event there have been staunch rejectors of the jazz vibe.  They, like the rest of America, refuse to acknowledge or try to feel the warmth of jazz music.  It may be their have difficulty feeling comfortable with this vulnerable expression.  Feeling good is not always easy or appropriate.  During Covid I have found the jazz feeling doesn't work, because what is happening around us is challenging and often painful.  Pain is the operative determinate.  One feels uneasy allowing pleasure, when the rest of life is about war.  I understand all of this.  Because of the classical influence many of these guests are accustomed to hearing this music, learned and composed music which is written and read off the page.  Also I read off the page, sometimes, but it is in the jazz methodology.  We play from lead sheets, a simple melody with chord symbols reminiscent of figured bass during the Baroque period.  To play jazz you must have an acute understanding of harmony and be able to realize harmony on the spot.  As such never do you play the songs the same way each time.  They change in accordance with the dynamic of the party.  At least upon this normally you rely.  When the swing rhythm or feeling is absent, which often it can be, it is difficult to play.  Suddenly and shockingly you find yourself trying to extemporize arrangements in the most unsupportive environment.  Imagine trying to compose while people watch, drink, and talk.  This is your job.  I had success and seeming failure on a few tunes, and that is normal.  What does work in this situation is Foxtrot.  Foxtrot is two beat music, which represents almost all Early Jazz, Broadway, and Ballroom Dance.  It is relaxed easy-flowing music which can be transitioned into "Straight Four" by swinging the bass line.  Largely this music is determined by the pluck of the acoustic bass on beats one and three, and when I did play this style and played bass with my left hand they were appreciated and happy.  Abruptly and to my surprise the limitation of the society gig presented themselves to me almost immediately.  The choices I had when playing bass with my left hand were Foxtrot, Ballad, and Bossa Nova.  These are the styles my father played in his band for many years, and they are tried and true.  The trouble was I had not played a gig like this in several years, and I do not hear this music.  Additionally I choose not to realize this music in my personal time.  I prefer to continue to learn new things and add them to my repertoire.  Unfortunately none of these came to mind when sitting in this position.  Quite normally you draw a complete blank.  You can't think of anything, and that was the case.  I sat and looked at my scribbles of tunes, and none of them seemed appropriate.  It stayed that way the entire evening.  Out of desperation I resorted to a few standards, and it felt immediately I was not present in the room.  It was the ghost of my father and my father's band that was there, and this is because my connection with this crowd was because of him.  They expected to hear his music, because always this is what they heard and enjoyed.  That was a tough pill to swallow, and honestly I resented it.  I have worked on a lot of music, and I pride myself in playing current media.  I cover some tunes, but in jazz you rely on your soul and your feelings to play.  In times such as this, often your expression is quashed by the intensity of the crowd.  All of them have their own opinions, and all of them have strong influence.  If you are not prepared for the fight, you may lose.