[Dixielandjazz] Re: music training / who did the first generation of jazzers listen to?

[Richard Broadie]

Young folks also have not had the exposure to Louis Armstrong, Art Tatum,
Fats Waller, Lester Young, Ben Webster, Coleman Hawkins, Monk, Miles, et al.
Both time and exposure to good (=okom??)  music are essential elements.  On
the other hand, who did the first generation of jazzers listen to?  Wish I'd
have thought to ask Ed "Montudie" Garland that question over the many years
we were friends.  Could throw in Johnny St. Cyr and a few others who were
around the scene circa WWI.   Any thoughts, gang?

 Dick B



----- Original Message -----
From: "Bill Hildebrandt" <billhil at prodigy.net>
To: "jazzlist" <dixielandjazz at ml.islandnet.com>
Sent: Saturday, February 22, 2003 9:08 AM
Subject: [Dixielandjazz] Re: music training (lengthy tirade)


> The ability to improvise in music is similar to the ability to create in
any
> field of endeavor. Creative impulses, ideas, "breakthroughs" etc. come to
us
> from the subconscious mind, which as I understand, never sleeps. Thus the
> subconscious mind is at all times monitoring not only our bodily
functions,
> but also every bit of sensory information we receive thru our senses. This
> means that it is aware of a lot more information that we are "inputting"
> than our conscious mind may be aware of at any time. A good deal of this
> "total information flow" is stored on our memories and is accessed by our
> subconscious minds as it churns away, day & night, figuring our what's
going
> on in the world around us.
>
> Great ideas, and creative improvisations, come from the subconscious mind
> and we most of the time never know where the next note is coming from
> (unless it is a rehearsed "improvisation".) The more music we have been
> exposed to (i.e. the older we get) the more raw material the subconscious
> mind has at its disposal to work with. Also, the more sensitive we are to
> "listening" to the subconscious mind the more improvisational capability
we
> have. One can almost train one's self to "listen" to the subconscious mind
> by paying attention to one's feelings, one's hunches, suspicions,
inklings,
> etc. The term "intuition" by the way, is a term relating to one's
> sensitivity to one's subconscious.
>
> Younger folk, especially students, have not had as much exposure to the
> variety of experiences* needed to stock their subconscious minds with
enough
> material for fluent improvisation. (*especially OKOM)
>
> Respectfully submitted, and apologizing for the length,
> Bill (I'm no psychologist but I read a lot) Hildebrandt
> the New Farmington River Royal Ragtime Ramblers
> Simsbury, CT
>
>
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