[Dixielandjazz] Pigeon holes

[Patrick Cooke]

>>One of the main problems we have is that many bands (in Europe at least)
try to play the 'pigeon holes' and say that they are playing this or that
type of jazz rather than just doing it.<<

     I can't understand a group playing an entire gig trying to sound just
like someone else.
     I can understand doing one "pigeon hole" tune just to show you can do
it, but I try to stay out of pigeon holes.  My fondest wish is that my
playing were unclassifiable.  Then I would be an innovator!
    But an innovator is usually a pariah, until one or more respected voices
say "I like it".
    Maybe in my next life.......
     Pat Cooke



----- Original Message -----
From: "brian.harvey5" <brian.harvey5@ntlworld.com>
To: "DJML" <dixielandjazz@ml.islandnet.com>
Sent: Wednesday, September 11, 2002 2:49 AM
Subject: [Dixielandjazz] Pigeon holes


> Burt Wilson wrote.........................
> "All Jazz in the early days was ensemble jazz with each musician
> contributing
> to the whole in a definite, co-operative polyphonic manner. "
>
> That is what I thought too Bert, but studying Kid Howard's career and
those
> of many other early NO jazzmen I find that this is not true. There were
> solos in the early music just as there were some bands who stood up and
> others that sat down.
> The more I research and read the taped interview transcriptions from the
> Tulane archive, the more I appreciate that we cannot generalise about
styles
> and methods. We cannot for example say that none of the bands were
readers,
> some were, some were not, some could partially read others were
'spellers'.
> Similarly the differences between Uptown and Downtown styles are not as
> clear cut as some writers would have us believe - and so on.
> But I would still defend the use of 'pigeon hole' categories by those of
us
> who seek to communicate about jazz to the public in the hope that what we
> are doing will aid their appreciation and perhaps even encourage newcomers
> to OKOM whatever style or pigeon hole that occupies.
> One of the main problems we have is that many bands (in Europe at least)
try
> to play the 'pigeon holes' and say that they are playing this or that type
> of jazz rather than just doing it.
>
>
>
>
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