[Dixielandjazz] Dr. Jazz, Telephone Central, and Teachers' Salaries

[George Thurmond]

    Maybe someone has already said this or at least pointed it out in so
many words, but IMHO the lyrics to our OKOM standards are poetry - what
message or thought, feeling, or situation that the lyricist is conveying
depends not just on what exactly he/she intends, but also upon the way the
singer phrases, punctuates, or emphasizes the score, AND also, like so many
poems, how the individual listener interprets the lyrics.  So I think its
certainly reasonable for one to consider Dr. Jazz to be either a dope
dealer, a pimp, or simply jazz.  It would be of interest though if someone
could find somewhere authoritatively what Dr. Jazz meant to Mr. Jelly, or
Mr. Melrose.  This is as good a place as any to throw in this little tidbit
that came off the net the other day, regarding how punctuation can make a
difference -

                        Not getting any better, come on home.
                        Not getting any, better come on home!

    Enjoyed Ringwald's and Hooks' memories of partyline, cranked telephones.
Having spent many months on a West Texas ranch on a six or eight party line
way back yonder, one learned the particular rings for each drop, and if you
believe the net is the most rapid way that man has discovered to get news
around,  you ain't never been on one of those party lines.  If you didn't
listen in, you could always later contact "central" and get caught up - she
listened to everything.  Remember Fibber McGee's chats with " Myrt"
(Myrtle).

    Finally, with those kind of Cook County teacher's salaries, why do the
teachers up there strike so much?  If Charlie's post gets to our Texas
school teachers, their migration to Chicago will top that of the 1917 exodus
from N.O. to that city!

Geo. Thurmond