[Dixielandjazz] Re: Limiting list postings to Dixieland-related

[Bigbuttbnd@aol.com]

Listmates:

Don't you guys think we've agreed to disagree about postings on this list 
already? In a multitude of discussions over a period of years we have 
discussed and proven beyond a shadow of a doubt that NONE of us can write a 
description of Dixieland, Traditional Jazz or even OKOM that accurately 
describes it with enough precision that any of us can agree exactly what IS 
and what IS NOT included in those labels. With that in mind how can we even 
hope to describe what can and cannot (or should and should not) be allowed on 
this list.

Occasionally some of us wander a bit further afield than others might want to 
venture... yet all of us are either musicians or fans of musicians and this 
list, regardless of it's name, is a gathering place for people who are 
interested in music generally regarded to be Dixieland, Traditional Jazz or 
OKOM... and NONE of us is qualified to define what IS and what IS NOT part of 
that.

If somebody's taking a vote.... my vote is to leave this list alone... these 
topics always have a way of working themselves out... and there is the 
blessed DELETE button. Use it when you don't like a post's subject. As for 
me, I'm keenly interested in what all of you folks are thinking about, I'm 
interested in your interests and I'm interested in learning by observing your 
point of view (especially if you have a similar interest to mine... the love 
of Dixieland, Trad, OKOM.. even if I can't place accurate borders on it.)

I think of this list as a bit like being on a gig with all of you.  That gig 
would be like all gigs where musicians of similar interest gather to work 
together, listen to each other and play off of each others ideas. On breaks 
we might talk about the music but certainly we would talk about other things 
as well. I'd like to know how you solve problems with regard to your musical 
activities; I'd like to learn songs that you know and I don't; I'd like your 
opinion on an instrument or a musician or a sound system or a contract or a 
marketing technique. I would appreciate you telling me about upcoming musical 
events that we might both be interested in. I want to know who your musical 
influences were...  and are. I'm interested in knowing who you are interested 
in because I might be interested in that same musician, style, genre, 
instrumentation, arrangement, approach. I believe that all of this leads to 
growth - professionally, musically and creatively. I'm weird enough to 
believe that Dixieland, Traditional Jazz and OKOM is a GROWING art form with 
areas yet to be discovered and creativity yet to be tapped. I believe this 
open approach is one of growing. If all we do is limit our talk to dead 
musicians and dying art forms then this music will die right along with this 
list.

We're Dixieland musicians on a Dixieland mailing list but we're people, too, 
with all of the interests that musical people have. The analogy of the 2 car 
lists is inaccurate. We can say with a high degree of certainty what 
equipment Triumph made and what equipment Kia Sephia made - right down to the 
serial number. We can't even agree as to what in our repertoire IS Dixieland. 
With a more limited list we couldn't even discuss the influences on Louis' 
playing or Louis' influence on others who followed him because much of that 
discussion might fall OUTSIDE of the range of this list (as strictly 
interpreted by some)!

I'm reading the Rolling Stone (magazine) book called "Rock Of Ages", a 
history of Rock and Roll... which states early on that the single greatest 
contributor to music of the 20th century (and to Rock and Roll, in 
particular) is Louis Armstrong! OUR MUSIC is part of something bigger than 
just OUR MUSIC... and we won't know that unless we talk about it.

Rocky Ball
Atlanta