OK I know it’s a silly question – but have you like me been playing music many years and wondered why jazz musicians always wear caps?! I have seen this over and over and never taken the time to figure out what the ‘french’ look is all about? There is no doubt it’s what all jazz players should do – just kidding 😉 But many players from Jaco Pastorius to countless other jazz greats wear caps or hats generally! It’s as if it’s their sole right to wear them as masters of their musical instruments (and let’s face it – jazz IS where the real complexities of music come together in dizzying arrays of sound!).
It’s almost as if you can’t be a real jazz player without a cap. So let’s do a bit of digging and try to figure out why jazz bass players, saxophonists, drummers, guitarists and pianists don the cap!
So just why do jazz musicians wear those pork pie hats?!
I found by poking around on the web this interesting statement: “Those pork pie hats are trendy now. Blues guys wear fedoras, since their influences (Robert Johnson mostly) wore one. It was considered part of a man’s dress to wear a hat. For a while it was backward driving or newsboy caps, or Kangol if you were a man of color.”
More: “They don’t always wear hats. But so do some musicians of color. In both cases, sometimes. A few musicians of either camp always wore hats—Thelonious Monk, for one. Sun Ra for another. I’m trying to think of a “white” jazz player who always wears/wore hats, and I’m having trouble thinking of one. I thought of one: Phil Woods, in his later years.”
More reasons why jazz players always seem to wear hats
And this: “In my opinion, many white Blues musicians and fans like to participate in the “look” of what they perceive to be a cool universe. Blues and Jazz are wide worlds where people can be a member of the club by simply showing up, paying at the door, and showing out. Blues and Jazz have given so many people something to do, something to think about, something to learn, and somewhere to be. It’s a cool thing.”
I tend to agree – it’s a cool thing! I also found this: “But mostly I think musicians wear hats to keep the stage lights out of their eyes, and as sweatbands.”
Err no – I don’t think so – there is definitely more of a trendy fashion aspect to this cap-wearing by jazz musicians.
Perhaps more jazzers are simply bald!