[Dixielandjazz] Lightning Rods, Factionalism and Monk

[Plectrum Joe]

We'll discuss this at the next meeting of the local chapter of Banjo 
Players For A Brighter Future. With a mere four strings to form chords, 
substitute chords take a bit of work  to be convincing. We are working 
on the technique of using 4 banjos playing selected combinations of 
notes, up to eleven notes at once and one an Octave apart to give the 
extended voicings used in  recordings by Diz, Bird et.al.  Our practices 
sound stunning in digital 3D surround sound.

keep forging ahead, ignore that tree

PJ

rakmccallum@hotmail.com wrote:

>  
>
> Hello all,
>
>  
>
> The gray cloud of jazz factionalism has returned to our list (I 
> suppose it never really goes anywhere).  I would love to see it 
> dissipate into, at least, a respect for all the various styles of jazz 
> as we approach the fiftieth anniversary of Charlie Parker's death, the 
> man who respectfully said that he didn't play anything that Pops 
> hadn't already played.  Of course, that's asking a lot.  I wonder if 
> Connie Kay is working on the plumbing in Heaven or that other place 
> because Sidney Bechet refused to let a "modernist" sit in with him.  
> Of course, John Lewis is there now too assisting him and Dizzy and 
> Miles in destroying what was once jazz in the afterlife as they did 
> here on earth.  I'm sure that Bird and Diz and Lester excitedly told 
> Gershwin about all the new and intersting melodies and improvisations 
> they came up with for his I Got Rhythm changes and he flared up at 
> them and said "how dare you trifle with my melodies like that? What 
> are those?  Substitution chords? Away heathens!!  How could you do 
> this?  IT IS WRONG. I'll tell you the same thing I told Whiteman when 
> he hired that bum Beiderbecke, it isn't supposed to sound like that. 
> Go play with that infantile Monk and his blues cliche tune (because we 
> all know that there are no cliches in a blues melody)."   
>
>  
>
> Building a bridge to a brighter tomorrow (or a short pier to take a 
> long drive off of),
>
>  
>
> Rob McCallum
>
>  
>
>          
>