[Dixielandjazz] Ain't that the truth was Barbone Street Review

[Stephen Barbone]

Well, lets see, Rebecca talked about "energy" and somehow that got
twisted by folks to include bead throwing and antics and who knows what
else. None of that is energy and neither Rebecca nor the Barbone Street
Jazz Band nor the reviewer said that it was. Do I detect some
"preconceived opinions"?

Re read the entire quote Rebecca referred to. It says "While the average
age of the band members is 70 years old, you wouldn't know it from their
energetic performances. THE ACCOMPLISHED MUSICIANSHIP, HOWEVER WOULD
HAVE GIVEN AWAY THEIR AGE."

Perhaps the reviewer meant she was surprised that a 72 year old could
still blow trombone so well that he was heard and enjoyed by 3500
people, in a park, without a microphone. Of course, 20 years ago he was
acknowledged by the musically informed as one of the 4 best trombonists
in the world so why should that be surprising.  Or that a 72 year old
bass player could keep up with the tempos playing an "old style" high
bridge bass that requires some effort to pull the strings. Or perhaps
she was surprised that this "Old" band out plays most other bands, of
any musical style, she ever heard.

Now, there is nothing there about antics, or beads and funny hats, or
anything else that the negative nabobs have made up their minds about.
Nothwisthstanding that they fancy themselves as know
everything about OKOM literati who are the only ones qualified to judge
musical performance and therefore only their opinions should be taken as
an acknowledgment of an informed response about musicianship. What
egotistic nonsense.

There are some very fine performing OKOM bands in this world, but most
do not hold a candle to the OKOM bands of 40-50 years ago. So I
personally don't worry about  today's "informed opinions" of
knowledgeable OKOM musicians and fans. They don't compare to the
opinions of those musos who played OKOM during that earlier time period.
(read they are meaningless)

The musical world is littered with the ill conceived opinions of so
called knowledgeable musos, critics, and fans, as well as the regular
people. What is worse, is that the so called literati should know
better. If musically "informed opinions" had held sway in the early
1900s, there would be no OKOM and/or no Jazz. Thank goodness, that those
ill informed commoners, (who bought ODJB records, and Bechet's and
Armstrong's) the kind of folks Barbone Street likes to perform before,
prevailed.

What a pity that many of us who love OKOM don't see fit to make an
effort to expand it's audience. What is the alternative?  To preside
over it's demise?

Musical content includes "You're So Vain, You Probably Think This Song
Is About You."

Cheers,
Steve Barbone

PS. Energy, as many define it, means what Jim Cullum says at many
performances to the audience. "Can't you just feel the energy radiating
from this band?" I think he is a serious player, with a seriously good
band. They do have energy. If you can't hear it, or you don't know what
he means, you are less musically informed then you thought.