Thank you so very much, Pops. As I may have mentioned before, I'm one of those who enjoys music a great deal but pretty much only at a superficial level. Listening to and reading your comments has allowed me to at least understand that there is a great deal more to be enjoyed once one understands what goes on below the surface. I appreciate your willingness to share your wealth of knowledge and I'm sure others less dense than I, have learned far more. Thanks again and God bless.
Thanks, Pops. I've read your book and your various publications. I've never heard you play music. I've been following tuba skinny for more than a decade. Your publications have helped me increase appreciation and understanding. So glad you're doing videos. I managed a garage band in the 60's we had a number one record and went on several tours with some great bands. The musicians taught me about music, and I'm learning even more from you. Thanks again
Loved to heard your words, for some years ago i enjoy TS music as yours intervention in this space. Forgive me my writing in "bad" english but i'am a portuguese speaker but i understand all your words that i apreciate a lot, learn a lot with your speech and i thank you very much. Agre with your words about TS "tempos". God bless you. You are a very good music listener. Its cold at your place? Today is September but with 23º Celsius in Lisboa.
Thank you for the kind words, Alvaro. I am gratified that my talk was useful to you in more than one way. Yes, we had a colder day yesterday - a sign that Christmas is coming. Mrs. Pops and I have been to Lisbon only once - in August 1967 when we were on a camping tour in our minivan with our three-year-old daughter. In those days, there were very few cars. It was easy to get around and to park. I am sure things must be very different now.
Thanks Pops for the great analysis of our favourite band . I love everything about them. Their unique style of playing, their camaraderie, their humbleness and relaxed way of adapting to any location / country and continent . Been following them for a decade now… Thanks again for teaching me how to listen better to the nuances of their music. I really wished you were my music teacher when a was in school. Well maybe in my next life. Keep on teaching us the uneducated musicophiles and melomaniacs…
Thank you, John. What you say about the band is so true. As for me being a 'teacher', I'm much more a learner! I regret not having a musical education. I have been teaching myself since I became interested in the music about thirty years ago - listening to it closely and picking up tips, insights and information from books and the internet and very often from conversations with experienced jazz musicians.
I totally agree with your expert analysis on what makes it all work. Not many people have so much insight. I'm a reed player and have been playing New Orleans style jazz all my life here in Edinburgh. Tuba Skinny do everything right... I watch all their RUclips videos.
I just finished reading a 2015 article on your blog, regarding the Shotgun Jazz Band's STEPPIN ON THE GAS, and I have to say it was excellent and entertaining. That CD is one of my favorites. I encountered your post during a search for a little more information on Craig Flory, whom I know via Tuba Skinny. Your comments here on RUclips are always so positiven and informative. Great shot of you with Marla Dixon, too.
Thanks very much, Bill. It's so gratifying to me to know there are people who are still enjoying my little writings about the music I love. Yes, my wife (who is now seriously ill in hospital) took that lovely souvenir picture of Marla with me. We travelled the 4500 miles to New Orleans for the French Quarter Festival three times over the years. If only we could still do so!
@@PopsCoffee All my best to you and your wife, from me whose father was treated very hospitably in England during WW2. I have only made one trip to New Orleans, in December 2022, and am hoping to get there again soon. Definitely again in December 2023, but may squeeze in an early May trip before it gets terribly hot. You're still 2 trips ahead of me! I only discovered the music during Covid, a bit late.
Hi, Pops: I've been a traditional jazz fan since the late 40's when I bought the Armstrong 3-album 45 rpm series of the Hot five and Seven. I also played drum in a Denver group named the Cherry Creek Mud Stompers. I've collected recordings, mostly reissues, of all the early bands as well as the Lu Watters/Turk Murphy/ Bob Scobey bands. Today my collection numbers over three thousand lps and cds. During all that time i've never bothered to "learn music". My listening has "evolved". I know what I like - TUBA SKINNY!!! I've been able to intuitively appreciate and anticipate what goes on, and I sometimes listen "selectively" to a particular instrument or section. But I have never been able to define why I like a particular band's rendition. But I can tell you I've never lost my appreciation for traditional jazz (and the swing of the 30's). And the first time I heard Tubby Skinny I thought, THEY GET IT. I've been a fan ever since!. Thank you, Pops, for your insights. You have justified my life-long passion.
@@PopsCoffee Yes, I was lucky. There's another thing that makes Tuba Skinny a great traditional band in my opinion. It's their choice of repertoire. They very seldom play the standards, but from the 1920's they have selected to play the music of Jabbo Smith, Tiny Parham, Louis Russell, NO Owls and, of course, the early blues singers. They've chosen much as Jelly Roll suggested: tunes with plenty of breaks and a Spanish twinge.
@@MartinJel Excellent points, Martin, not least the one about the Jelly Roll formula. Like many others of their fans, I have been introduced by Tuba Skinny to dozens of tunes that had risked extinction; and I've noticed that they rarely or never play the war-horses presented to us endlessly and tediously by most traditional jazz bands - tunes such as 'Bill Bailey', 'All of Me', 'St. James Infirmary', 'Has Anybody Seen My Girl', 'Basin Street Blues', 'When the Saints', and 'Darktown Strutters Ball'.
Some great points and observations Ivan. Always enjoy your explanations. Although I am not always able to analyse the structure of a given piece, I often recognise when a band hits those magical 'sweet spots'. That brings a lot of pleasure. Also Tuba Skinny often slip in subtle key changes and tempo changes. One deliberate time signature change example is Kenny Ball's 'The Pay Off' where he starts in 3/4 time then later in the piece switches to 4/4 and then back to 3/4 to finish.
Many thanks for the kind comments, Kenneth. Yes, there are plenty of tunes originally composed in 3/4 that work very well in 4/4; and it's fun when a band uses both time signatures in the same performance. 'Carolina Moon', 'Over the Waves' and 'I'm Forever Blowing Bubbles' spring to mind.
Thanks for your analysis of good jazz bands. I think the points made are generally applicable to almost any genre. I’ve heard you comment occasionally on “stop chords”. Would you be so kind as to further explain what they are how used.
Thanks. I should not have assumed that everyone knows what stop chords are. They are a rhythmic pattern, usually played in support of a solo chorus, in which the rest of the band plays only on particular beats and leaves the rest of the bar (measure) blank. Most commonly, the accompanists will play just the first beat of the bar but other patterns are also possible. It is a technique that provides variety but also enables the soloist to stand out, while the rest of the band maintains the steady rhythm.
Thanks Ivan, you have summed up my thoughts beautifully. I knew Chris Blount very well and recall him saying similar things about the soul of the music, something that is sadly lacking from so many bands today. There is also a certain magic that can happen when a band plays a number that they haven't played before, or for a very long time, or when the band personnel are new to each other. Hard to put your finger on it. I am amazed when players who do not read music are able to perform so well, just relying on a natural good ear. I recall travelling on a train with the George Lewis band on their first UK tour and asking them for their autographs. I didn't realise that Jim Robinson could not read and write and signed a picture with an "X" yet he could play such wonderful tailgate trombone. Looking forward to your next missive.
Love your analysis Pops and appreciate your expertise ... could you at some time talk about the role of the rhythm section in the band? What level of expertise do Max and Greg possess ... would they be trained musicians, or self taught? That kind of thing
Pops, do you know what Tuba Skinny Band members musical backgrounds are? For example, I know that Shaye Cohn's father Joe (the son of Jazz Saxophonist legend Al) attended the Berklee School of Music in Boston. I can't find any specific biographical details of Shaye (or any of the other band members) in regards to formal musical education and was just curious. I know that Shaye is originally from Brookline, Mass and the Berklee School of Music is just a few miles away. She is an extremely talented musician capable of playing multiple instruments plus she can sing. Several other members of Tuba Skinny also play multiple instruments including Barnabus Jones, Todd Burdick and of course Erika Lewis.
It is not easy to discover what musical education the members had. I have included in my book ('Tuba Skinny and Shaye Cohn', available from Amazon) all that I could find out, for example that Shaye was a member of The New England Conservatory Children's Chorus and sang solo on stage, and that she was classically trained (piano and violin) at New York University. She started playing piano at a very early age.
@@PopsCoffee Thank you for responding so quickly. I just ordered your book! I'm not a musician, but I came across Tuba Skinny on RUclips and very much enjoy the band. Coincidentally, once I started following Tuba Skinny, other jazz acts started popping up on my RUclips feed including a pair of saxophonist named Leo Pellegrino or Leo p. and Grace Kelly. Leo p earned his chops by busking and playing in the New York subway system while Grace Kelly earned a name for herself playing with the house band on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. In looking into the background of these two performers, I noticed that Grace Kelly like Shaye Cohn is also from Brookline, Mass. Grace graduated from the Berklee School of Music. Incidentally, even though Leo p.'s fame comes from RUclips and performing in the subways, he is a graduate of the Manhattan School of Music. All this led me to wonder what formal training members of Tuba Skinny have had. Anyway, I'll read your book. By the way, I've enjoyed your videos and now am a subscriber to your channel.
Thanks, Steve. I'm glad you are finding my writings and videos interesting. Like you, I came across Tuba Skinny on RUclips almost by chance some years ago, became hooked and eventually had to travel 4500 miles to New Orleans to hear them. I have also noticed that many musicians have honed their technique in the New York subway, as well as in New Orleans. On the matter of the skills they develop, it is clear that when they devote their lives to playing for hours every day, often busking on the streets, and when they think and care deeply about their music, musicians are bound to improve - probably even faster then while at college.
Perhaps you could answer a question for me. It may be a bit off topic. Often but not always Shaye will play 2 short notes prior to starting the beat. To my ears those notes usually do not fall into the key of the song. Is she simply clearing her cornet or do they have a deeper meaning? Thanks for any insight you might be able to share.
@@charlescopes Well spotted, Charles. Before virtually every performance of a tune, Shaye plays two, three or four (usually ascending) notes. They ARE in fact ALWAYS taken from the tonic chord of the key to be used. For example, if the tune is in A flat (of which the tonic chord uses A flat, C and E flat), she may play a low A flat quickly followed by the E flat above it. Why does she do this? For two reasons, I think. (1) It helps attune her ear to the key in which she must give a decisive lead; and (2) it serves as a reminder to the band, just in case anybody has forgotten in which key they are to play. For an example, look at: ruclips.net/video/GgDXeZdlQe0/видео.html . Erika announces the tune and then Shaye plays (ascending) B flat, E flat, G, and the higher B flat. These are the notes of the chord of E flat major; and that is the key in which they play the song.
@@PopsCoffee thanks for clarifying this bit of trivia. I'm glad your trained ear recognized the notes played do in fact come from the key to be used. It makes sense. Thank again for sharing your expertise!
@@charlescopes Actually, Charles, your question inspired me to spend the morning making a video on that very subject. I think it's an important aspect of Shaye's band management style. I ought to have commented on it before. My video is scheduled to appear on 23 July.
Pops is my hero. Great work documenting traditional jazz. I've gone through it all several times. Thanks Pop!
Wow! Thanks, DB. I'm glad I made the video!
Thank you so very much, Pops. As I may have mentioned before, I'm one of those who enjoys music a great deal but pretty much only at a superficial level. Listening to and reading your comments has allowed me to at least understand that there is a great deal more to be enjoyed once one understands what goes on below the surface. I appreciate your willingness to share your wealth of knowledge and I'm sure others less dense than I, have learned far more. Thanks again and God bless.
Thanks for the kind comments, Edwin, and for taking the trouble to watch this rather long video.
Thanks, Pops. I've read your book and your various publications. I've never heard you play music. I've been following tuba skinny for more than a decade. Your publications have helped me increase appreciation and understanding. So glad you're doing videos. I managed a garage band in the 60's we had a number one record and went on several tours with some great bands. The musicians taught me about music, and I'm learning even more from you. Thanks again
Thanks for the very kind words, Henry. Glad to hear of your own experiences in the business.
Loved to heard your words, for some years ago i enjoy TS music as yours intervention in this space. Forgive me my writing in "bad" english but i'am a portuguese speaker but i understand all your words that i apreciate a lot, learn a lot with your speech and i thank you very much. Agre with your words about TS "tempos". God bless you. You are a very good music listener.
Its cold at your place? Today is September but with 23º Celsius in Lisboa.
Thank you for the kind words, Alvaro. I am gratified that my talk was useful to you in more than one way. Yes, we had a colder day yesterday - a sign that Christmas is coming. Mrs. Pops and I have been to Lisbon only once - in August 1967 when we were on a camping tour in our minivan with our three-year-old daughter. In those days, there were very few cars. It was easy to get around and to park. I am sure things must be very different now.
Thanks Pops for the great analysis of our favourite band . I love everything about them. Their unique style of playing, their camaraderie, their humbleness and relaxed way of adapting to any location / country and continent . Been following them for a decade now… Thanks again for teaching me how to listen better to the nuances of their music. I really wished you were my music teacher when a was in school. Well maybe in my next life. Keep on teaching us the uneducated musicophiles and melomaniacs…
Thank you, John. What you say about the band is so true. As for me being a 'teacher', I'm much more a learner! I regret not having a musical education. I have been teaching myself since I became interested in the music about thirty years ago - listening to it closely and picking up tips, insights and information from books and the internet and very often from conversations with experienced jazz musicians.
I totally agree with your expert analysis on what makes it all work. Not many people have so much insight. I'm a reed player and have been playing New Orleans style jazz all my life here in Edinburgh. Tuba Skinny do everything right... I watch all their RUclips videos.
Many thanks for the kind words, Ian. Keep up the good work in Edinburgh. I wish I could have the pleasure of hearing you play.
ruclips.net/video/A6IMDr3Fklg/видео.html
You sent me a link, Ian. I was going to try it but it seems to have been removed. Any chance of trying again?
Thanks Pops, very enlightening.
Thanks; and greetings, John. Keep up the good work with the videos.
I just finished reading a 2015 article on your blog, regarding the Shotgun Jazz Band's STEPPIN ON THE GAS, and I have to say it was excellent and entertaining. That CD is one of my favorites. I encountered your post during a search for a little more information on Craig Flory, whom I know via Tuba Skinny. Your comments here on RUclips are always so positiven and informative. Great shot of you with Marla Dixon, too.
Thanks very much, Bill. It's so gratifying to me to know there are people who are still enjoying my little writings about the music I love. Yes, my wife (who is now seriously ill in hospital) took that lovely souvenir picture of Marla with me. We travelled the 4500 miles to New Orleans for the French Quarter Festival three times over the years. If only we could still do so!
@@PopsCoffee All my best to you and your wife, from me whose father was treated very hospitably in England during WW2. I have only made one trip to New Orleans, in December 2022, and am hoping to get there again soon. Definitely again in December 2023, but may squeeze in an early May trip before it gets terribly hot. You're still 2 trips ahead of me! I only discovered the music during Covid, a bit late.
Thanks, Bill. I hope you succeed in making several more trips. There is so much to enjoy and so many great musicians to discover.
Hi, Pops: I've been a traditional jazz fan since the late 40's when I bought the Armstrong 3-album 45 rpm series of the Hot five and Seven. I also played drum in a Denver group named the Cherry Creek Mud Stompers. I've collected recordings, mostly reissues, of all the early bands as well as the Lu Watters/Turk Murphy/ Bob Scobey bands.
Today my collection numbers over three thousand lps and cds. During all that time i've never bothered to "learn music". My listening has "evolved". I know what I like - TUBA SKINNY!!! I've been able to intuitively appreciate and anticipate what goes on, and I sometimes listen "selectively" to a particular instrument or section. But I have never been able to define why I like a particular band's rendition. But I can tell you I've never lost my appreciation for traditional jazz (and the swing of the 30's). And the first time I heard Tubby Skinny I thought, THEY GET IT. I've been a fan ever since!.
Thank you, Pops, for your insights. You have justified my life-long passion.
Thanks, Martin. What a life of jazz! We must be about the same age but I discovered the joys of the music much later in life than you did.
@@PopsCoffee Yes, I was lucky. There's another thing that makes Tuba Skinny a great traditional band in my opinion. It's their choice of repertoire. They very seldom play the standards, but from the 1920's they have selected to play the music of Jabbo Smith, Tiny Parham, Louis Russell, NO Owls and, of course, the early blues singers. They've chosen much as Jelly Roll suggested: tunes with plenty of breaks and a Spanish twinge.
@@MartinJel Excellent points, Martin, not least the one about the Jelly Roll formula. Like many others of their fans, I have been introduced by Tuba Skinny to dozens of tunes that had risked extinction; and I've noticed that they rarely or never play the war-horses presented to us endlessly and tediously by most traditional jazz bands - tunes such as 'Bill Bailey', 'All of Me', 'St. James Infirmary', 'Has Anybody Seen My Girl', 'Basin Street Blues', 'When the Saints', and 'Darktown Strutters Ball'.
The clarinet seems to shine brightest when it accentuates.
Good point. Thank you.
Some great points and observations Ivan. Always enjoy your explanations.
Although I am not always able to analyse the structure of a given piece, I often recognise when a band hits those magical 'sweet spots'. That brings a lot of pleasure.
Also Tuba Skinny often slip in subtle key changes and tempo changes.
One deliberate time signature change example is Kenny Ball's 'The Pay Off' where he starts in 3/4 time then later in the piece switches to 4/4 and then back to 3/4 to finish.
Many thanks for the kind comments, Kenneth. Yes, there are plenty of tunes originally composed in 3/4 that work very well in 4/4; and it's fun when a band uses both time signatures in the same performance. 'Carolina Moon', 'Over the Waves' and 'I'm Forever Blowing Bubbles' spring to mind.
Thanks for your analysis of good jazz bands. I think the points made are generally applicable to almost any genre. I’ve heard you comment occasionally on “stop chords”. Would you be so kind as to further explain what they are how used.
Thanks. I should not have assumed that everyone knows what stop chords are. They are a rhythmic pattern, usually played in support of a solo chorus, in which the rest of the band plays only on particular beats and leaves the rest of the bar (measure) blank. Most commonly, the accompanists will play just the first beat of the bar but other patterns are also possible. It is a technique that provides variety but also enables the soloist to stand out, while the rest of the band maintains the steady rhythm.
Thanks Ivan, you have summed up my thoughts beautifully. I knew Chris Blount very well and recall him saying similar things about the soul of the music, something that is sadly lacking from so many bands today.
There is also a certain magic that can happen when a band plays a number that they haven't played before, or for a very long time, or when the band personnel are new to each other. Hard to put your finger on it.
I am amazed when players who do not read music are able to perform so well, just relying on a natural good ear. I recall travelling on a train with the George Lewis band on their first UK tour and asking them for their autographs. I didn't realise that Jim Robinson could not read and write and signed a picture with an "X" yet he could play such wonderful tailgate trombone.
Looking forward to your next missive.
Many thanks, Ron. And I am glad to have your own reminiscences of Chris Blount and Jim Robinson.
Love your analysis Pops and appreciate your expertise ... could you at some time talk about the role of the rhythm section in the band? What level of expertise do Max and Greg possess ... would they be trained musicians, or self taught? That kind of thing
Thanks for the kind words and for the suggestion, DnDHistoryHub.
Do they have written music
See my video: ruclips.net/video/R3GKSzKwMdk/видео.html .
Pops, do you know what Tuba Skinny Band members musical backgrounds are? For example, I know that Shaye Cohn's father Joe (the son of Jazz Saxophonist legend Al) attended the Berklee School of Music in Boston. I can't find any specific biographical details of Shaye (or any of the other band members) in regards to formal musical education and was just curious. I know that Shaye is originally from Brookline, Mass and the Berklee School of Music is just a few miles away. She is an extremely talented musician capable of playing multiple instruments plus she can sing. Several other members of Tuba Skinny also play multiple instruments including Barnabus Jones, Todd Burdick and of course Erika Lewis.
It is not easy to discover what musical education the members had. I have included in my book ('Tuba Skinny and Shaye Cohn', available from Amazon) all that I could find out, for example that Shaye was a member of The New England Conservatory Children's Chorus and sang solo on stage, and that she was classically trained (piano and violin) at New York University. She started playing piano at a very early age.
@@PopsCoffee Thank you for responding so quickly. I just ordered your book! I'm not a musician, but I came across Tuba Skinny on RUclips and very much enjoy the band. Coincidentally, once I started following Tuba Skinny, other jazz acts started popping up on my RUclips feed including a pair of saxophonist named Leo Pellegrino or Leo p. and Grace Kelly. Leo p earned his chops by busking and playing in the New York subway system while Grace Kelly earned a name for herself playing with the house band on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. In looking into the background of these two performers, I noticed that Grace Kelly like Shaye Cohn is also from Brookline, Mass. Grace graduated from the Berklee School of Music. Incidentally, even though Leo p.'s fame comes from RUclips and performing in the subways, he is a graduate of the Manhattan School of Music. All this led me to wonder what formal training members of Tuba Skinny have had. Anyway, I'll read your book. By the way, I've enjoyed your videos and now am a subscriber to your channel.
Thanks, Steve. I'm glad you are finding my writings and videos interesting. Like you, I came across Tuba Skinny on RUclips almost by chance some years ago, became hooked and eventually had to travel 4500 miles to New Orleans to hear them. I have also noticed that many musicians have honed their technique in the New York subway, as well as in New Orleans. On the matter of the skills they develop, it is clear that when they devote their lives to playing for hours every day, often busking on the streets, and when they think and care deeply about their music, musicians are bound to improve - probably even faster then while at college.
What this performance scripted and rehearsed or is it an inspired extemporisation?
Nice one, Axel! It's extemporised over a progression in two flats: I moved home recently.
Couldn’t have said it better myself LOL. Thanks for the video and I am total agreement with all you’ve said.
Glad to have your support, Charles!
Perhaps you could answer a question for me. It may be a bit off topic. Often but not always Shaye will play 2 short notes prior to starting the beat. To my ears those notes usually do not fall into the key of the song. Is she simply clearing her cornet or do they have a deeper meaning? Thanks for any insight you might be able to share.
@@charlescopes Well spotted, Charles. Before virtually every performance of a tune, Shaye plays two, three or four (usually ascending) notes. They ARE in fact ALWAYS taken from the tonic chord of the key to be used. For example, if the tune is in A flat (of which the tonic chord uses A flat, C and E flat), she may play a low A flat quickly followed by the E flat above it. Why does she do this? For two reasons, I think. (1) It helps attune her ear to the key in which she must give a decisive lead; and (2) it serves as a reminder to the band, just in case anybody has forgotten in which key they are to play. For an example, look at: ruclips.net/video/GgDXeZdlQe0/видео.html . Erika announces the tune and then Shaye plays (ascending) B flat, E flat, G, and the higher B flat. These are the notes of the chord of E flat major; and that is the key in which they play the song.
@@PopsCoffee thanks for clarifying this bit of trivia. I'm glad your trained ear recognized the notes played do in fact come from the key to be used. It makes sense. Thank again for sharing your expertise!
@@charlescopes Actually, Charles, your question inspired me to spend the morning making a video on that very subject. I think it's an important aspect of Shaye's band management style. I ought to have commented on it before. My video is scheduled to appear on 23 July.