[Dixielandjazz] Wynton & Family

[D and R Hardie]

Dear Jim,
I watched a Marsalis video on Ellington on local
TV the other night and I too was disappointed in
the band. It just didn't swing. The difference was
quite noticeable when they featured clips of the
real Ellington band. I heard Wynton here playing
classical  music and have heard him playing other
quite good music that swings but this band full of
good musicians did not have it. Perhaps it's hard
for over drilled musicians these days to find the
feeling.
regards
Dan Hardie

Visit the Web site:
http://members.ozemail.com.au/~darnhard/EarlyJazzHistory.html

JimDBB at aol.com wrote:

>  
>
> In a message dated 2/25/03 11:41:40 AM Central
> Standard Time, Trumpetom at aol.com writes:
>  
>
>> I caught the family band special last night on
>> PBS. Struttin' With Some Barbecue was a treat!
>> Several styles were played at the same time.
>> The best part for me was  the brothers having
>> musical fun quoting each other during the
>> round of solos on that piece.
>>
>> Tom Loeb
>
>  
>
>    Tom, I happened to cath that show and I wold
> like to comment.  These Marsalis brothers are
> very fine musicians...but there is something
> missing...like feeling.  
>
>    The "struttin' with some Barbeque' was a sop
> to us traditionalists...'Hey!...we can play this
> stuff, too. The front line on the
> Dixieland-polyphonic ensemble sounded like
> Saddam Husseins' Palace jazz band.  Three horns
> playing with absolutely no feeling or
> relationship to each other.  The audio
> equivalent of three drunken Brits throwing darts
> at the same time in a pub.
>
>      Wynton on Barbeque wasn't quite sure what
> to do.  He would flub around trying to
> approximate Armstrong then give it up and wander
> around rather aimlessly, trying to playing what
> he thinks is 'New Orleans' trumpet.  His
> phrasing is stilted and frankly he doesn't swing
> playing traditional things.
>  
> They played a couple of really forgettable
> 'modern' things.  The elder Marsalis plays the
> mindless modern-comp piano that has infested
> jazz for so long.
>
>    Jason, I guess is the youngest, and plays
> decent enough on drums but is very stiff. He
> looked like he was scared to death of his
> brothers.
>
>    Delfeyo is the trombonist and plays like a
> hundred other comtemporary trombonists who have
> a lot of technique and are very stiff.  He
> played Tyree Glenn's 'Sultry Serenade' without
> any warmth whatsoever.
>
>    They all looked good with expensive clothes
> and cool stage moves.  Harry Connick Jr. made a
> guest appearance.  He had been a teenage
> apprentice of the elder Marsalis.  His piano
> style seems to be a teenagers take on 'Thelonius
> Monk.'  He and Ellis did a duo pino on
> 'Caravan.'  
>
> All in all, to me it was not disappointing
> because I didn't expect anymore from the
> Marsalis family band.  I was curious as to what
> they would sound like together and they lived
> down to those expectations. There were some
> mildly interesting interviews about the family
> and early pictures.  We were spared any
> harangues & lectures from Wynton
>
> Here is a family of accomplished 'jazz'
> musicians that were born and raised in New
> Orleans, and they can't play what we think of as
> New Orleans jazz.  Yet, they will look down on
> those who can.
>
> Curmudgeonly yours,
>
> Jim Beebe
>
>   --------------------------------------------
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