I’ve been viewing a LOT of live music. All kinds of music (well, light on modern jazz), and all kinds of skill levels. I’ve discovered some things, mostly about myself I guess. One is, live music is usually exhilarating. One is, the activity brings out the analyst in me. I have a compulsion to observe and classify.
One of my heroes is Carl Linnaeus, the father of the biological classification we still use today. You’re familiar with his hierarchy of classification? Kingdom, Phylum, Class, Order, Family, Genus and Species. Take us, for example – we are in the Animal Kingdom, Phylum Chordata (spinal cord), Class Mammalia, Order Primate, Family Homidae, Genus Homo and Species Sapiens.
Now, I ain’t no genius Swede, like my buddy Carl, but when I watch live music, I see logical classifications for the musicians. These are mostly based upon the observations of that particular performance, so my paltry classifications are fluid. Any musician might be one species one performance, but another a few nights later.
In general folks who play gigs are somewhat beyond the beginner phase, but there are exceptions. In the Phylum Novicae (beginner) there are two main Classes: Hesitants and Exuberants. Hesitant novices can be tough to behold. Their skills are minimal at best, and this is exacerbated by their (well deserved) nervousness. On the other hand, the exuberant novice is often a hoot and a half. What they might lack in pitch, meter and precision may be mitigated by charisma – a miracle of sorts.
Possibly the largest Phylum of performing musicians is Intermediae – the intermediate skillset. Many – maybe most – musicians spend a great deal of time here, some for a happy lifetime. Within this Phylum we see two principal classes: Mechanics and Alchemists. The Mechanics are musicians can effectively and consistently play music well. The Alchemists have the Mechanics’ level of technical mastery, but are able to tap into some personal expression beyond mere precision. Either class can be enjoyable. Musicians in the Phylum Intermediae often toggle back and forth between being Mechanics and Alchemists – sometimes in the same night!
The next Phylum is Advancates – truly accomplished musicians. Within this Phylum we see, now, three classes – Visitoriae, SemiPermanentites and the Permanentites. Visitoriae – the visitors – are usually Intermediae who break through – often their hearts take them to a level beyond their Phylum, and they perform at a level beyond their intrinsic capabilities, but only temporarily. SemiPermanentites are capable of persistent performance at a high level, but remain unable to stake a firm foothold at the highest levels of the craft.
Phylum Advancate, Class Permanentite – these cats never have an “off night” that an audience can detect. I have had the privilege to play with musicians at this level, and their talent is transcendent – it can carry a band, and inevitably and consistently fills the venue.
This is all in fun, of course, and it’s always liquid. You like what you like, and musicians often play out of their minds on good nights (or way below their “classification” on a rough night). Not knowing what you’ll get is a big part of the adventure of watching live music. Otherwise, why bother? Why would you watch a movie where you already know what’s going to happen?
