Both articles ‘Vibes and Venues’ and ‘Epilogue - Jazz as a way of life’ written by Berliner in 1994

provide detailed explanations and analysis of key representations and ideas throughout jazz history.

‘Vibes and Venues’ discusses some key ideas about how a musicians performance is heavily
influenced by their environment, whereas ‘Epilogue - Jazz as a way of life’ details how the concept of
improvisation as a representation of a jazz musicians life which is constantly evolving and adapting to
influences.

There is a strong emphasis by Berliner on the significance of the venue a musician will play at. One
point that is particularly stated is the size of the room. A hall where there is a lot of natural reverb and
space between the band and the audience requires more care in soundcheck to hone in on the tone,
clarity and balance between all instruments. It was said jazz musicians often preferred smaller,
intimate rooms where it was easier to achieve balance between the instruments and connect with the
audience. The balancing of different types of instruments such as acoustic, electric and synths is a
difficulty that comes with each venue.

It is worth mentioning the importance placed on sound checks before a gig. It is described as a ‘make
or break’ for a professional gig. This is because each musician in the band must be comfortable with
the way their instrument blends and sounds in the mix and also whether or not they can hear all the
other instruments through the fold back. The impression made was that sound checks are very
serious for a professional musician and ‘shouldn’t be taken lightly’ as described my Max Roach. It is
interesting hearing about how professional musicians go about sound checking and is clear that as an
amateur musician it should be something more focused on before a performance.

The type of audience a musician is playing for seems to be the most significant factor of a
performance. Tommy Turrentine described it as a big factor because they are the ones who
determine whether or not you make a living. He also goes onto say that if you aren’t concerned with
your audience you may as well stay in the practice room. It because of this reasoning that jazz
musicians are forced to adapt to their audiences. There were many types of described audiences.
When jazz musicians were playing for educated listeners or other musicians such as an audience at
the Village Vanguard in New York, they were more inclined to step out and try new ideas or perhaps
quote other musicians as a way to connect with the audience. Often these audiences reciprocated the
musicians better by whistling or clapping after solos and generally adding to the overall vibe of the
music. But when they were playing to an audience who were less informed they would do things like
always play the melody first and keep songs short by reducing solo lengths. They also reduced their
vocabulary to things they would understand and receive well. When playing commercially the
emphasis was on presentation such as wearing a suit and body language such as making grand
gestures inline with what was happening in the music to add emphasis to the performance in a
different way that is more showy.

Management issues where venues are uptight about door fees, restrict instrumentation, hustle the
audience for drinks and provide low quality gear can also significantly impact the band to audience
connection and is another factor musicians must consider.

There is an understanding in jazz professionals that no audience will be the same and you can never
predict how they will react to your music but the importance lies in being able to adapt to the
audience and perform your best regardless of the circumstances.

Studio verses live performances is also examined. Studio performances are described as trying to be a
flawless performance to accommodate repeated listening. It was said that musicians generally had a
different approach to playing in the studio by simplifying what they would usually go for to prevent
mistakes from happening. There was also an emphasis on being able to edit and overdub tracks in the
studio. Depending on whether or not instruments were recorded separately to one another (no spill
over) post production cuts and changes could then try perfect a part that perhaps has mistakes or is
not what is wanted. This sense of not knowing whether the music is truly being made live or is
unedited makes some critics believe that studio recordings are not a genuine reflection of what a
player or band sounds like and therefore must be heard live to really know what they sound like. This
is mainly due to the nature of jazz improvisation being spontaneous and in the moment and therefore
studio production can effect the sincerity of the delivery.

The topic of Jazz as a way of life is also prevalent. It is stated that jazz is a sacrifice of a normal life.
Each time you perform is described as a ‘symbolic miniature version of ones life pilgrimage’. There is
an emphasis on the process rather than the result throughout a jazz players career. A strong will to
learn more each day and find your place in music is the goal not the destination. Practice is described
as necessary for even the best because it is described as a somewhat spiritual process to keep
developing and connecting with the music. Studio recordings are described as being a captured
moment of ones own process rather than an outcome. It seems that delving into jazz is a life
commitment that cannot be pursued casually or taken lightly. Growth in the music comes from
external factors as much as it does in the practice room. Social, environmental and personal factors
also greatly shape and inspire a serious musician. An in depth knowledge of the musics history and
furthermore the language is also critical to the makeup of a player. That and the other musicians they
collectively play,learn and grow with play in important role in shaping the journey one will take with
their music.