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Re: Re: Playing Accordion "Above the Melody"

Not to take anything away from the man, but you could say "if you heard one Beau Jocque jam, you've heard them all". The one we know the best is the one from "Cornbread", but whenever he launched off into an extended jam, it was pretty much the same thing. I never had the pleasure of seeing him live, but I do recall hearing that the dancers didn't care for the 10 minute jams all that much. Partly, I think it is related to the dancers general lack of interest in lengthy guitar solos.

-David

Re: Playing Accordion "Above the Melody"

David,

I've had several conversations with dancers about song length, and the best (analytical) advice I heard about it was this: A dance is a social contract for 3 or 4 minutes. At the end of that time, you're ready to move on. No matter how good the dancer, you've each done your thing, you've connected through the dance, and to keep it going longer than those few minutes turns it into an ordeal. I think Beau Jocque was a master entertainer. If he could keep dancers on the floor and drinkers at the bar, the event was a success. The first time I ever played a club gig, I asked the bartender if he'd had a good night. He said, "Oh yeah, lots of drunks." That attitude hit me like a bucket of cold water, but it's the raw truth that clubs can afford bands when people spend money for food and drink. How many times have dance and music promoters had to include in their publicity some variation on "You will remember to patronize the establishment that hired the band, won't you?" I don't think that was a problem when Beau Jocque was on the bandstand.



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