By Ray West
One of the musical questions I most frequently encounter is, “How do people who have never played together, play together?” It is a difficult question to answer given the numerous variables in each potential scenario.
Occasionally, there is a distinct leader — perhaps the person who secured the gig then assembled the group, or the leader could simply be the person with the microphone in front of them. In either case, the responsibility of calling the tunes falls to this leader.
They may or may not be the most developed musician on the stage. And if they’re not, they will likely call that which they know best. If they are the most advanced musician, they’ll have to assess the personnel. If you’ve been fortunate, this will have been done before calls were made and before set lists were created and shared. If that was not possible and this group was formed in haste, then the leader will have to rely on instinct and subtle observations, like the way a player handles their gear. Someone with a fair amount of stage time has a system. They are in charge of their space on the stage. They know where it is and how it works with other players. A seasoned player’s gear, though it need not be expensive, won’t look like it was the first thing purchased, but rather chosen through trial and error.
The leader may start with songs everyone knows. Songs most people with a few seasons under their belt have played a number of times. After that, they may try calling a tune out of that realm and gauge the reaction. If everyone nods and looks confident, it’s game on.
Several layers of communication take place during the first few songs. Let’s start with the rhythm section. The drummer and the bass player seem to know within only a few bars where they are with each other. Do they connect and become one, following the music and instinctively knowing how to play the parts as they come, or is that connection lacking a bit?
The result can be great either way, but one is much more fun than the other. Can the singer sing, and WHAT can they sing? That, too, can be determined rather quickly. Can they work the crowd and make people want to stay? Do they know how to include and communicate with the rest of the players throughout the evening? Is the guitar player any good? Do they know their chords and scales and use different voicings and tones throughout the evening? Are they listeners or is every song simply a canvas for the solo? If you’re fortunate to have a keyboard player, they are (nearly) always the most educated player in the band.
Here in Key West, we are extremely lucky. So many of our players are seasoned professionals. They know the goal is to entertain and they know that happens more easily if they, too, are enjoying themselves. They respect each other and most importantly they know, as Caffeine Carl once said to me, “We’re all out here doing the same thing; let’s make everybody sound great.”
