[Dixielandjazz] Re: Dixielandjazz Digest, Vol 2, Issue 18

[DWSI at aol.com]

In a message dated 2/8/2003 1:13:56 AM Eastern Standard Time, 
dixielandjazz-request at ml.islandnet.com writes:

> Subject: Re: [Dixielandjazz] Introduction to Dixieland Music
> 

Dan Spink adds his erudition:

If you read the "official" history texts and sit at the feet of the jazz 
"professors" you will quickly learn that Dixieland, (and Ragtime as well), 
was actually invented by young blacks so that it could be played many years 
later by old white guys. It's only real reason for being was to provide a 
legitimate transition and platform for the creation of "real jazz;" that is, 
very fast played, turning the piano into a single line instrument that never 
plays rhythm, and the melody is never to be played straight unless the bar 
owner threatens to fire you if you don't. You should therefore steep yourself 
in the arrogant teachings of these wisemen and try very hard to get to like 
music that has constant 4/4/ beat, that uses only very big, complex, hard to 
play chords to impress everybody, (or at least other musicians who can't find 
the right notes of those chords quite often). So be careful in listening to 
Louis Armstrong, Bix, Wild Bill, Bob Scobey, Pee Wee Hunt, and so many more 
of the "ancients" because you might get to like that music even better (I'm 
sorry to have said it out loud like that) than the "real jazz" sometimes 
called "modern jazz" or whatever. 

Dan (piano fingers) Spink
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