The Professor’s Guide to Jazz Fashion

Anyone who's been following the Trad Jazz scene may have noticed something interesting evolving in recent years. Have you seen a Trad Jazz record cover from the 70s? Are you picturing what I'm picturing: a group of nerdy guys with stripey shirts, straw hats and bow ties (that may or may not spin)? Now, think about the NY scene nowadays. The fashion department, in my opinion, has improved somewhat. So if you're a NY Trad musician, you'd better get your wardrobe sorted out. No longer is it just the vocalists' job to glam up and garner the attention, while the rest of us hide behind our instruments, wiping the hamburger grease from our hands onto our beer-stained shirts. Any musician wanting a career in the Traditional Jazz scene in NYC needs to be aware of the importance of fashion. And when I say importance, I mean: “find the best suit/dress you can, get it tailored, and then learn to play the trumpet” kind of important. Even the humble sideman now needs to look like he's just popped out of the pages of an old-timey GQ. And you're in the audience? You're not getting off that easy, either. Even if you're there to dance, or just listen, you'd better be ready to strut your well-tailored stuff. You never know who's taking photos- you