Photo-Allan Warren
As a jazz photographer I get a chance to hear lots of musicians, mostly in night clubs. On a recent evening I looked forward to seeing a highly touted young jazz pianist in an upscale jazz “joint.” He took the stage clad in a horizontally stripped t-shirt and slacks.
I guess my first question is do performers have any obligation to dress for the occasion? A suit and tie or maybe a jacket, dress shirt and slacks?” Maybe I’m living in the past but could you possible imagine Nat King Cole, Count Basie or to take it to the extreme, Liberace, striding on stage in a t-shirt?
The second thing that struck me about this pianist is during the entire performance he didn’t once acknowledge the audience. Not a hello, a hi, how’s everyone doing, nothing, he literally said nothing. Not only that he didn’t even look at the audience, not even a peek. He was tremendously talented but he might as well have been performing alone in his bedroom.
The point I’m trying to make is doesn’t a performer have some obligation to the audience beyond their talent? To engage the audience in some way? The audience seemed to enjoy his playing but how much more would they have taken away from the experience if he had engaged them in some way, dressed to fit the venue demonstrating he appreciated them spending their money to see him perform?
Maybe I expect too much.
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