[Dixielandjazz] All About Jazz

[Stephen Barbone]

Hi Jerry:

Are we looking at the same site? For example, on the AAJ site if you search for
Freddie Keppard, (AAJ files only) you get an automatic Google search of all the
AAJ articles on Freddie Keppard (numerous). Or if you do the same search for
ODJB, you get a bunch of AAJ articles in ODJB, even to including a retro band
ODJB clone with Orange Kellin "playing all the right ODJB clarinet runs" etc.

Their tie in with Google is also such that you can easily search AAJ files only,
or entire web for Keppard or ODJB et al,  from the AAJ site if you desire.

You may want to play around a little bit more with the site to realize just how
much is really there, before reaching a firm conclusion. I haven't found the
"building a library" yet but will keep trying. It is not the easiest site to get
around.

http://allaboutjazz.com

BTW. I'd be happy order those posters for you (send money) if you want and send
them which should eliminate the duty problem. $25 does not seem to be so much in
the States. I wouldn't book a gig that didn't pay sidemen more than that per
hour, with a three hour minimum regardless of time played.

Cheers,
Steve

Jazzjerry@aol.com wrote:

> Hi Steve,
>
> The posters are great and would look really good on my office wall. Pity they
> are a little pricey ($25 seems a lot to me!) and importing from the States is
> not that practicable.
>
> The All About Jazz site is something else though. My jazz tastes are fairly
> wide but this is a joke surely. For anyone with jazz interests from Freddie
> Keppard to Freddie Hubbard and John Handy to John Handy this site is narrow
> indeed. I would think that the 'Building a jazz library' section would be a
> pretty good indication of the overall aims of the site and they surely cannot
> be serious in their suggestion. Eight artists are listed in that particular
> section and these included Tonny Bennett, Frank Sinatra and Ella Fitzgerald.
> Great performers indeed but hardly the greatest jazz singers. In the
> instrument section the saxophone does not even get a mention yet there are
> three bits devoted to vocalists. The style selection is even more bizarre
> with only  'Smooth', 'Post-Bop, 'Blues', 'Bossa Nova', Classic Be-bop',
> 'Classic Funk', Free Improv' and 'Funk Jazz' meriting a listing. The 'Drum &
> bass' instrument section does not mention and drummers or bass players at
> all. All very odd.
>
> Yes there are some interesting and useful things about the site but it's
> outlook seems about as narrow as those who believe that 'without a banjo it
> ain't jazz' or 'John Coltrane is the true originator of jazz as an art form'
> and I have heard both views expressed by otherwise sane people.
>
> Sites such as this are dangerous in that they set themselves as informative
> but fall down sadly on the scope of the contents.
>
> Just a veiwpoint.
>
> Cheers,
>
> Jerry,
> Norwich,
> U.K.