Hardbopjazz Posted March 30, 2012 Report Posted March 30, 2012 Out of curiosity I am wondering how many jazz sets, concerts you've attended over the years. Does one stand our over all the rest? I am close to 300. The one that I get a warm and fuzzy feeling was Count Basie and his Orchestra in 1981. It was at the New Savoy Ball Room in Harlem, NY. Basie came out in a motorized wheelchair. He was helped up to the piano, but once he started playing, he was the Basie we all know. Quote
Chuck Nessa Posted March 30, 2012 Report Posted March 30, 2012 I have no way to calculate the number. Quote
PHILLYQ Posted March 30, 2012 Report Posted March 30, 2012 I have no idea, it's almost a 40 year time period. Quote
ValerieB Posted March 30, 2012 Report Posted March 30, 2012 it would be impossible for me to know. i started over 50 years ago. the people i wish i had seen in person are Charlie Parker, Lester Young and Billie Holiday. i've probably seen most everyone else during those decades. i'm blessed! Quote
Hardbopjazz Posted March 30, 2012 Author Report Posted March 30, 2012 I have no way to calculate the number. I've kept a diary of the shows I have seen. Quote
PHILLYQ Posted March 30, 2012 Report Posted March 30, 2012 I have no way to calculate the number. I've kept a diary of the shows I have seen. Wish I would have done that... Quote
medjuck Posted March 30, 2012 Report Posted March 30, 2012 Out of curiosity I am wondering how many jazz sets, concerts you've attended over the years. Does one stand our over all the rest? I am close to 300. The one that I get a warm and fuzzy feeling was Count Basie and his Orchestra in 1981. It was at the New Savoy Ball Room in Harlem, NY. Basie came out in a motorized wheelchair. He was helped up to the piano, but once he started playing, he was the Basie we all know. I saw him in the motorized chair at Disneyland! Same reaction as you. it would be impossible for me to know. i started over 50 years ago. the people i wish i had seen in person are Charlie Parker, Lester Young and Billie Holiday. i've probably seen most everyone else during those decades. i'm blessed! Same for me, though for some reason I also never saw Coleman Hawkins, Pee Wee Russell or Louis Armstrong. I think that the first jazz show i ever saw may have been Sun Ra with a small group. Quote
Rooster_Ties Posted March 30, 2012 Report Posted March 30, 2012 Oh, 200, maybe 300? - I'm just guessing. That includes a ton of local musicians. My interest dates back about 20 years, and I'm sure I've been to 15 or 20 gigs per year most years since about 1994. Oh, hell, I just remembered that my very first year in Kansas City -- I practically LIVED at this one jazz club in Westport (The Drum Room, circa 1994-96). I must have seen 300 gigs alone over that two-year period (before they closed). Seriously. I was in there practically every night of the week, even if only for an hour sometime in the evening (though often longer). They had pool tables, and I could play and listen to live jazz at the same time -- I was in heaven!! So you'd better up my estimate to at least 400. Quote
Jim R Posted March 30, 2012 Report Posted March 30, 2012 The one that I get a warm and fuzzy feeling was Count Basie and his Orchestra in 1981. It was at the New Savoy Ball Room in Harlem, NY. Basie came out in a motorized wheelchair. He was helped up to the piano, but once he started playing, he was the Basie we all know. I saw him in 1981 also, here in the Bay Area. Dual bill with Sarah Vaughan. Goosebumps just thinking about it. Quote
ejp626 Posted March 30, 2012 Report Posted March 30, 2012 Not sure -- probably a bit over 100 but almost certainly not 200. It does depend a bit if all the different sets of the Detroit or Chicago Jazz Fest get added up. Quote
brownie Posted March 30, 2012 Report Posted March 30, 2012 I have no way to calculate the number. I've kept a diary of the shows I have seen. Wish I would have done that... Same here! I attended my first jazz shows some 60 years ago... Most memorable ones would include Blakey's Jazz Messengers and Sonny Rollins trio at Club Saint-Germain in 1958, Charles Mingus Sextet at Salle Wagram in 1964, Cecil Taylor at Fondation Maeght in 1969... Quote
ValerieB Posted March 30, 2012 Report Posted March 30, 2012 (edited) Out of curiosity I am wondering how many jazz sets, concerts you've attended over the years. Does one stand our over all the rest? I am close to 300. The one that I get a warm and fuzzy feeling was Count Basie and his Orchestra in 1981. It was at the New Savoy Ball Room in Harlem, NY. Basie came out in a motorized wheelchair. He was helped up to the piano, but once he started playing, he was the Basie we all know. I saw him in the motorized chair at Disneyland! Same reaction as you. it would be impossible for me to know. i started over 50 years ago. the people i wish i had seen in person are Charlie Parker, Lester Young and Billie Holiday. i've probably seen most everyone else during those decades. i'm blessed! Same for me, though for some reason I also never saw Coleman Hawkins, Pee Wee Russell or Louis Armstrong. I think that the first jazz show i ever saw may have been Sun Ra with a small group. you started over 50 years ago andd the first musician you saw in person was Sun Ra?!? i'll bet nobody else could claim that one!! LOL Edited March 30, 2012 by ValerieB Quote
Michael Weiss Posted March 30, 2012 Report Posted March 30, 2012 I've attended lots of memorable gigs but no diary of those. However I've kept a diary of 30 years worth of (worthwhile) gigs since moving to NY. Over 500 gigs at the Village Vanguard alone. Quote
ValerieB Posted March 30, 2012 Report Posted March 30, 2012 most memorable over the years for me would probably be Coltrane, Mingus, Max, Monk, and a few more, i'm sure! Quote
JohnS Posted March 30, 2012 Report Posted March 30, 2012 My first was in 1958 but I only have a record off about 50 or so from the seventies. Most things have slipped from my mind except the handful of unforgetable spine tinglers. Quote
BillF Posted March 30, 2012 Report Posted March 30, 2012 My first was in 1958 but I only have a record off about 50 or so from the seventies. Most things have slipped from my mind except the handful of unforgetable spine tinglers. Much like you, John! My first was in 1957. Ones that stick in my mind are on the front row in the Free Trade Hall, Manchester for the Basie band, not long after they recorded The Atomic Mr Basie and front row again at Ronnie Scott's for the Horace Silver Quintet with the Brecker brothers and Billy Cobham. Quote
Rooster_Ties Posted March 30, 2012 Report Posted March 30, 2012 (edited) Most memorable, roughly in chronological order: Either/Orchestra (my very first ever jazz concert, circa 1990, in a club in my college town of 35,000)Sun Ra Arkestra 3 or 4 times (including once with Sun Ra at The Cubby Bear in Chicago in 1991, getting to meet June Tyson and other Arkestra members between sets -- and then hearing the Arkestra (sans Ra) 2 or 3 times in Kansas City in the late 90's)Joe Henderson (twice!)Dave Holland Quintet (twice)Jackie McLeanBobby HutchersonGreg Osby with Jason Moran (3 times)Herbie Hancock & Wayne Shorter (that dreaded 'duo' tour), then later Herbie w/ Gary Thomas (much better! - and Thomas is a favorite), and Wayne's current quartet (OMG!)Brad Meldau (trio once, and also solo recently)Chick Corea playing his own piano concert (with the Kansas City symphony)John Hicks in Bobby Watson's group in Kansas City onceAndrew Hill!Sam Rivers!Grachan Moncur playing recently, backed by those AMAZING Mark Masters octet charts (heaven!)Billy Harper & Eddie Henderson on the same gig. I'm sure I'm forgetting a few others of importance, but those are the first ones that come to mind. Edited March 30, 2012 by Rooster_Ties Quote
Larry Kart Posted March 30, 2012 Report Posted March 30, 2012 Thousands I'm sure, starting in 1955. For more than ten years, 1976 to 1988, I was reviewing regularly for the Chicago Tribune, so that helped. Quote
tranemonk Posted March 30, 2012 Report Posted March 30, 2012 No clue... Started going to gigs in the late 1980s.. and went to a LOT more when I was single and not a parent.... If I had to guess... two to three hundred.... These days maybe I get to go to 6-10 a year... Maybe... Quote
johnlitweiler Posted March 30, 2012 Report Posted March 30, 2012 At least a thousand, maybe as many as twice that, NOT including hundreds of Chicago and New Orleans and Vision festival performances. Off and on I also reviewed for Chicago newspapers (Reader, Sun-Times, Tribune). Quote
Tom Storer Posted March 30, 2012 Report Posted March 30, 2012 It's 35+ years for me. No idea how many concerts. I'd guess around 500. I've forgotten the most memorable ones. Quote
BeBop Posted March 30, 2012 Report Posted March 30, 2012 Excluding shows where I performed, and including only shows I paid to see (e.g., no street performers, "jazz, wine and art festivals") I'd say: - one a week in high school - five a week when I was in college/early career - three a week until about 2007 - during the recent economic/financial troubles, maybe one a month, Maybe. Quote
Pete C Posted March 30, 2012 Report Posted March 30, 2012 I have no idea either. I'd guess anywhere from 10 to 50 shows a year for 40 years. My friend Don can give you an exact count though. He keeps a spreadsheet of every show he's seen with all sidemen. He isn't an auditor for nothing. Quote
Steve Reynolds Posted March 30, 2012 Report Posted March 30, 2012 one day one Pete or I will convince Don to post here or there or somewhere I see him at many of the shows I attend. For me the last couple of years has been good - maybe 20 or each year - this year by next Month it will be 8 already this year which is only 8 as I have a life, a wife and other responsibilites that take up much of my time - for me I would like to get to 4 or 5 a month rather than the current 2 or so. regrettably for a number of years - 2003 through 2009 I attended very few concerts - but before that for a few years, I was seeing a couple shows a month I would guess. Quote
_forumlogo.png.a607ef20a6e0c299ab2aa6443aa1f32e.png)
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.