Bob, "Well You Needn't" is almost hip-hop to start with. And any day you get to play a Monk tune is a good day.

We play one gig, about twice a year, and the guy who still lives there and used to be the one who booked us loves "Misty". So we play it for him, without him asking for it. He's visibly delighted. And you know, playing "Misty" a couple of times a year is like visiting an old friend. Comfortable and enjoyable. And when I improvise a sax solo, I forget the lines I used to fall into and the solo comes out fresh and as an adventure.

"New York New York" used to be a big deal around here 20 years ago. Recent Big Apple transplants retiring in Florida would request it. I'd prefer it if they liked Billy Joel's "New York State Of Mind" better, but they didn't.

Anyway, we were playing this supperclub. Nice club, manager/maitre d' in an obviously expensive tailored suit, real linens on the table, nice china, and good, well prepared food.

This customer came up, put a 5 in the jar and asked for "NYNY". We played it. About a half hour later, another 5 for "NYNY". We played it again. Another half hour, and another 5 for "NYNY".

Leilani thinks well on her feet and she got on the mic and announced playfully in an auctioneer voice, "We've got a 5 to play NYNY again. Do I hear 10 not to play it?" At which time I started the intro, it got a laugh, and it solved the problem. The customer dropped another 5 on the way out.

We played Thursday - Saturday at that club for about 3 years. It finally closed. The owner made a bunch of money there but went to Miami figuring he could make even more down there. I never heard from him again, and hope he did well.

"Yakety Sax" is the song sax players love to hate. It's corny, technically challenging until you get it under your fingers (and I did that in the 1960s), and there is no where to explore.

I only play it when requested, and when I do, I do a little playful shtick. As the song speeds up I give horrified looks at Leilani as if she is pushing me to the limits and at the end I'll make some remark about my partner having too much coffee before the gig. And yes, once the music starts and the sax is in my hands, it's not bad at all. And a lot better than those wasps.

I met a man playing the piano bar when I did cruise ships back in the 1980s. Irving Bloom, a past president of the New York AFofM. He's no longer with us.

He started playing piano for silent movies. "Made $14 a week, more than my father was making."

Anyway he said he always played what the public wanted and they never let him down.

When Leilani and I started "The Sophisticats" http://www.s-cats.com back in the 1980s, we figured we could play jazz standards mixed with "the American Songbook" because the retirees were of that era.

But we collected requests. Pretty soon Cole Porter, Duke Ellington and even Glenn Miller tunes were no longer requested. And mixing in a not too difficult to listen to Horace Silver tune like "Song For My Father" dribbled off the stage in a puddle on the floor. The requests were for Elvis era songs. Now Elvis is mostly passe. We're all the way up to Clapton era songs. Although I miss some of the more challenging standards, I also enjoy the more physical rock tunes.

Of course, there is more than one way to do music right. It depends on you, your tastes, your skills, and also the area you find yourself in and the supply and demand for different kinds of music in that area.

If you can make a living doing nothing but original material, that's great. If you make a living in a tribute band and like it, that's great too. (To me a tribute band would be better than the wasps, but not much). If you work a day job so you can play art music on the weekends or Monday nights when the regular band is off, and like it, that's good too.

On the other hand, if it evolves to where I have to do rap tunes all night, that's when I retire. I can't move my mouth that fast, and if I can't improvise sax, wind synth, or guitar over even a simple chord progression, the thrill will be gone.

Insights and incites by Notes

Bob "Notes" Norton smile Norton Music
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