Performing live cuts to the essence of what we do as jazz musicians. We love performing in intimate settings (because jazz is traditionally acoustic music) but your band will often get called to play large festivals. This may also involve an outdoor stage and, as a result, will involve you having to deal with a Sound Guy.
The Sound Guy is the guy who sets up all the microphones, speakers, and PA system to amplify the band for a large crowd. Your Sound Guy can easily be identified as the middle aged guy in black jeans, black T-shirt, and long thinning hair. (Please note: black jeans will be worn no matter the weather, even a 100° NY Summer’s day.)
Handling an over-enthusiastic Sound Guy is an important skill for the professional jazz musician, and there are many tips to navigate this minefield.
Here’s the Professor’s Guide to Dealing with the Sound Guy:
Firstly, upon meeting, get him on side by asking him if he’s a musician. (And you need him on your side. After all, he has the power to make you sound like crap if he wants to.) Sound Guys are almost always rock guitarists who never quite made it. So they will happily delay the soundcheck to tell you about their latest Fender Stratocaster they just bought off eBay and are restoring the pickups which were not the original and blah blah blah...
This leads me to another very important point: most Sound Guys are frustrated r
