The Sound of Vintage Music Concerts

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Thomas "Fats" Waller's Ain't Misbehavin'

Ken Lelen’s repertoire spans the decades of the early and mid-20th Century. Songs in his concert programs range from ragtime, jazz and hill-billy to swing, crooner and popular tunes in the American Songbook.

     In performance he prefers to sing verses he finds in original sheet music and songbooks, and use unembellished acoustic orchestration he hears in many period recordings. Without reservation, Lelen likes this period music performed with period instruments for the substance and style it offers his audiences.

     To his delight, oldsters in audiences at clubs, libraries and senior centers say this is how they first heard the music. They also say Lelen's repertoire of legendary love songs is more fulfilling than the June-spoon, harvest-moon fare they're force-fed by bluegrass, folk and karaoke singers hired by tone-deft program managers at nursing homes and assisted-living facilities. Likewise, middle-aged and young adults offer compliments as well, commenting that vintage songs have more content or feel than most contemporary music.

     Playing any of the half-dozen vintage guitars he brings to each performance, Lelen likes to match a song with a guitar made in the same decade for an authentic, acoustic sound. Guitars and concerts were not amplified 80 years ago, so pick-ups, wires and electric gizmos are not installed to "improve" the guitars and performances today. To do so, Lelen says, would amplify the volume, but distort the instrument's tone and character. It also would adversely affect the condition and value of his precious period instruments.

     Years ago Lelen decided not to rely on lackluster PA systems or less-than-able sound techs at small venues. Instead, he uses a Fender Passport system to reproduce the sound of guitars and voice without embellishment, distortion or reverb. Given the unpredictable room conditions he encounters, this equipment has ensured quality sound reproduction at every venue. He uses a Shure SM-58 mic on voice and Shure SM-57 mic on guitar as well as strategic speaker placement for the bright and clear sound levels audiences demand. As a result, it takes 45-60 minutes to set up his sound gear and vintage instruments before a concert and, similarly,  30-45 minutes to re-pack his equipment following a concert.

     Over the past decade Ken Lelen has performed more than 925 concerts for about 85,000 people at a host of venues and settings across the eastern U.S. Audience sizes at these sites have ranged between 35 and 350 people, while the rooms he has played included churches, clubs, dining halls, schools, libraries, auditoriums, multi-purpose rooms, museums, basements,  living rooms,  gymnasiums,  lobbies,  art and

Ken Lelen at Wright WW II Museum,
Wolfeboro NH, May 13, 2004

antique galleries, patios and gardens. His most unusual performance space was a flag-draped tank garage — a gymnasium-sized building at the Wright Museum in Wolfeboro NH that houses World War II-era vehicles of mass destruction.

     Lelen believes there is considerable pay-off for his combination of period instruments, classic songs and faithful sound. Vintage Music Concert audiences say they understand the words to the songs they enjoy. They relish the emotions engendered by the music he sings. And they appreciate the classy appeal of vintage instruments used in a contemporary concert setting.

     In short, Lelen says, "You can't get this sound out of a box with plastic knobs."

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© 2010 Ken Lelen — All Rights Reserved