[Dixielandjazz] Bands with a name, but shifting peronnel

[Charles Suhor]

I've enjoyed the variations in the discussions of OKOM and swing bands that
bear a name but aren't composed of the same group of musicians--The Barbone
Street Band, Glenn Miller Orchestra under the direction of.....,  Meyer
Davis' "Mickey Mouse" bands, etc.

One variation that reflects a dying musical culture is the competent
(sometimes terrific) "make-up band." I'm wondering if others have had this
experience, Beginning in my teen days during the late 40s and early 50s in
New Orleans and going until the recent past, I played innumerable spot job
gigs under leaders who had a small cadre of regulars in 4 to 7 piece bands,
with frequent substitutions by others who knew the same repertoire.

"Same repertoire" is the key--they could all fake melodies and/or jam on a
ton of tunes--the same OKOM jazz tunes, the same standards and show tunes,
selected Hit Parade songs, a bunch of Latin songs, etc.

Really, a sideman would never knew who'd be on a gig til you got there. Of
course there were some players you hoped would be there more than others,
but it was fun finding your way into blending well with the players on
hand. The audiences took this as a matter of course, unless the band played
poorly when a less able sideman showed up.

Sometimes the band had no name. A sideman would book a gig when a friend
just asked him to "get up a band" for a wedding. (There were, alas, few
sidewomen, except for singers, and because of segregation laws we got to
listen to but rarely play with similar communities of black musicians.).

I had joyous times playing with dozens of same-repertoire musicians over
the years. Most were decidedly un-famous weekenders like me but many played
wonderfully, in the great New Orleans tradition of the gifted amateur.
There were names known to many jazz fans, like Ray Burke, Tom Brown, Chink
Martin, Armand Hug, Henry Kmen, Pete Fountain, and Murphy Campo but also
wonderful lesser knowns and unknowns, full-timers or weekends, like Dutch
Andrus, Milton Bauer, Bill Crais, Don Suhor (my bro), Coco Hymel, Theresa
Kelly, Cecile Laurie, Angelo Palmisano,  and others.

This "play the repertoire" culture continued with many of the players like
Don and me (and the incredible banjo/guitar/bassist Bill Huntington) who
also took up modern jazz. I'm sure the culture is maintained to a degree by
many of the OKOM players who contribute to this list. But it became less
and less frequent when rock and contemporary blues became dominant and
tilted young players towards less fluid and inventive music.

Unfortunately, they missed out on the great ear training, not to mention
the freedom, of being in the world of fake-&-jam-as-you-can pickup bands.
And the audiences for the music we played have dwindled in most
places--literally dying out. Nowadays "nostalgia music" for most people
isn't stuff like "Tin Roof Blues" or "Stardust" or even "Misty" but the
Beatles and rock's many variations.

I can't bring myself to say that the world has gone to hell in a handbasket
because of this. We're a smaller audience with a strong belief in what has
become non-mainstream music, from a popular perspective. And the great
music of the past HAPPENED.  Period. Plus, much of OKOM is still happening
and it's our good luck to share it and support it.

Charlie Suhor