The Tin Pan

Autumn in New York - it doesn't get much better.

After some very hectic days looking for street musicians, we packed our gear and headed for Central Park, pretty confident that we would find what we were searching for on this sunny and warm Sunday morning.

We'd heard that we might be able to find a jazz musician, who usually plays his saxophone, in the area around Sheep Meadow. But we never got that far, shortly after we'd passed the Old Carousel, we spotted them, The Tin Pan Blues Band. 4 energetic new yorkers playing with such enthusiasm and musicality that everyone passing by stopped and listened. It was an absolute joy watching them and listening to their interpretations.

The Tin Pan Blues Band takes on traditional American music with roots of the jazz tradition and reinvigorates it by making it their own. As they state: "This is not museum music best preserved under a glass; it is a living art form that we renew everytime we play". The music is light and fun with tinges of the blues. It makes people dancing and smiling. The band is inspired by, artists such as Louis Armstrong, Bessie Smith, Jelly Roll Morton, George Lewis, Fats Waller, Irving Berlin, and Hoagy Carmichael. And they have created their own Tin Pan style - actually playing the things a lot slower that most bands in New York City. Taking the time to explore the emotions of a moment.

The Tin Pan Blues Band is a working quartet that has over 150 performances a year!. They primarily play out in Central Park. Often six days a week if the weather allows. They are out there as a working band. As they say: "There are some things that only bands that work this regularly can do. We have developed an almost telepathic understanding of the forms and arrangements of our material".

So if you see them laughing for no apparent reason, it's because someone just combined something special in a unique way.

Jesse has written a handful of tunes that are suitable for The Tin Pan sound. He'll bring in a tune and they'll see if it works for them. The themes vary but for some reason tragic love songs are always on his mind. Also, a lot of the earlier songs they do, do not have lyrics or have lyrics which seem outdated or less relevant to our culture. In such cases he'll write or re-write some lyrics.

One of the songs we heard in the park that sunny Sunday morning was a tune that Tin Pan now call "Gambler's Blues" which came from and old old melody called "Hear me Talkin'"

Jesse's lyrics:

"Roll me slowly like loaded dice.
Spin me round easy. It feels so nice.
Lyin'. Cheatin'. Layin' in the sun all day.
Hear me talkin'
You gambled your life away.

Round and round and round she goes.
Where she stops well her man don't even know.
Lyin'. Cheatin' Stretched out by the pool all day.
Hear me talkin'
You gambled your life away.

Roll me slowly like loaded dice.
You take tour chances when you take a wife.
Lyin'. Cheatin'. Layin' in the bed all day.
You choose and you loose.
That's called the Gambler's Blues

Meeting The Tin Pan was a musical experience full of passion, joy and most of all honest live music at it best. If you ever come to New York do your self a favour, look them up in Central Park, sit down and enjoy the spirit, bring home the tunes by buying a cd or two, its worth the stroll and the 15 bucks.

Find out more about The Tin Pan Blues Band on their website