WHY DOESN'T THE CURRENT GENERATION OF DETROIT JAZZ MUSICIANS CARE TO DRESS UP?

Bassist Ron Carter

I attended the Ron Carter quartet concert at the Paradise Jazz Series in April. The first thing I noticed was how sharp they were in their matching black suits. Their appearance made me wonder why many young jazz musicians, particularly those from Detroit, never dress up like jazz musicians did back in the day. I thought about a question I asked the late jazz drummer and former Jazz Messenger, Ralph Peterson Jr., during an interview for my upcoming book, "Chasing the Note." Why band leaders like Art Blakey required their bandmates to dress up. According to Peterson, Blakey believed that before the musicians played a single note, the audience first saw their attire. Discerning audience members tend to make assumptions about the music based solely on the musicians' appearance. Many fans might believe such a claim to be silly. Blakey was right, though. If musicians look raggedy, it's likely their music will reflect that. What Blakey said has stuck with me. I’m embarrassed at how poorly dressed the current generation of Detroit jazz musicians is. Hoodies, jeans, and sneakers are acceptable attire. I question whether the colleges where young musicians learn the nuts and bolts of music theory, orchestration, and harmony emphasize proper stage etiquette. If so, it appears that too many of the young musicians who play at the Dirty Dog Jazz Café, Bert's Music Café, the Blue Llama, Cliff Bell's, Baker's Keyboard Lounge, and Aretha's Jazz Café skip those lectures on etiquette. How can jazz musicians perform at upscale clubs like the Dirty Dog and Blue Llama, which have a cover charge yet dress as if they were playing at a fraternity house? It's outright disrespectful to the audience. If you bring a date to either venue, you could drop $250.00 to hear one set. I once overheard the jazz pianist and educator Teddy Harris Jr. tell a young musician that the audience should never look better than the musicians whom they have paid good money to see. Harris added that the bandstand is sacred and must be treated as such.

I hesitated about writing this blog, knowing that it would offend many of the young players who, aside from their lack of attention to their appearance, are excellent musicians. I was also unsure if I would sound old-fashioned and superficial. At first, I decided to keep my observations and thoughts to myself. That changed at the Detroit Jazz Festival Press Conference. The band performing looked awful. One musician wore scuffed-up black and white Air Jordans. Another had on Crocs sandals, but at least they were new. The musicians' shabby appearance distracted from their music. My attention shifted from their clothes to the music, never thoroughly enjoying their original music. That's what Art Blakey was getting at when schooling Ralph Peterson. The musicians were hired to perform at a media event for one of the biggest jazz festivals in the world. Still, they didn't understand such an honor call for dressing up, given that the festival sponsors, city officials, and media personalities were in attendance. I later learned that the same musicians would represent Detroit and the DJF in an upcoming tour of Japan.

Musicians don't always have to wear suits and ties, but they should at least be well put together. The tenor saxophonist Donald Walden was stylish. No fan of his would deny that. I caught many of his local gigs. I don't recall him ever sporting a suit. Yet, his appearance was always impeccable. Decades ago, jazz musicians were written about in national magazines such as GQ and Esquire for their stylishness. Miles Davis, Duke Ellington, Roy Haynes, and Coleman Hawkins were fashion icons always on someone's best-dressed list. Non-musicians tried to mimic the style of jazz musicians. My mentor, who introduced me to jazz, once told me that when he proposed to his wife of 60 years, he wore a tailored suit like the one trumpeter Lee Morgan wore as a Jazz Messenger. Jazz musicians of the past possessed a certain dignity. Yes, they had struggles with addiction and other vices, but it meant something to be a jazz musician. How they talked, walked, and dressed spoke to that reality. It was easy to distinguish between jazz musicians and other musicians. You wouldn’t be wrong to mistake a jazz musician now for rock & roll or hip-hop musicians.

Last week, I saw the famous Great Day in Harlem photo. On a hot summer day in 1958, all the male musicians pictured were dressed like leading men. There are all sorts of jazz lore about how meticulous jazz musicians were about their clothes. For example, trumpeter Miles Davis said the great tenor saxophonist Dexter Gordon wouldn't allow musicians to hang around him if they weren't dressed right. In his autobiography, Miles wrote that Gordon told him he couldn't be seen with Miles until he got some vines (clothes). Trumpeter Rex Stewart noted in his book "Jazz Masters of the 30s," which documented some of the quirks of famous jazz musicians, that Duke Ellington was so fussy about his clothes that he wouldn't wear a suit coat if any of the buttons were slightly loose. The Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra’s appearance is always polished. Its leader, Wynton Marsalis, joked that if the music isn't happening, at least the band looks good.

Trumpeter Miles Davis

Closer to home, I recall the Detroit drummer Sean Dobbins telling me the pianist Claude Black chastised him about how he dressed. According to Dobbins, Black was embarrassed to be on stage with him and made him buy some suits. That's how seasoned jazz musicians used to tear into younger musicians for any breaches of etiquette. Somehow, that type of homegrown mentoring has stopped. I asked Dobbins once after his performance at the Dirty Dog why young guys don’t care how they look on stage. He said he could only require that musicians dress up in his band. Why does dressing well matter? Deep down, who gives a shit what jazz musicians perform in? Those are reasonable questions. Jazz musicians dressing up are part of tradition and acknowledge what Teddy Harris believed was sacred, the bandstand. I’m not sure if anyone cares about my observations, opinions, or agrees that the current generation of Detroit jazz musicians needs to be concerned about professionalism. Performing at a concert hall or popular jazz club in a hoodie, sneakers, and jeans is in bad taste. Here are a few suggestions: Club owners should establish a dress code for the performers. Universities could offer classes in grooming and professionalism. That would be a good starting point. Ron Carter informed his students at City College in New York, if they wanted to perform with him in the concert at the end of the semester, a blue suit and tie were mandatory. I left the Carter’s Paradise Jazz Series concert feeling good. At 88, he's still sharp musically, and his style is still impeccable. I wish more of Detroit's current jazz musicians had attended the concert to witness professionalism at its finest.