[Dixielandjazz] : better players

[JimDBB at aol.com]

In a message dated 7/15/2003 11:36:54 AM Central Standard Time, 
barbonestreet at earthlink.net writes:

> >As a cornetist, I think, relative to "high", that Hackett was right on 
> when he told the prospective buyer of one of his
> >horns that it was "like new" because he had "hardly ever played it above 
> the staff".
> 
> Sure, agreed. But so what? That is how Hackett heard music. It should also 
> be pointed out that Hackett was no Louis
> Armstrong.


   Steve...Bobby Hackett's remark was a joke.  Bobby was his own unique and 
beautiful soul.  One of the great standouts in the recorded history of live 
jazz concerts was the marvelous duet that Bobby and Louis played on "Ol Rockin' 
chair" at the Town Hall concert.



>"
> No, list to Clifford Brown. And also, Louis was one of the loudest trumpet 
> players of his day. Loudness was a key ingredient
> of his playing as well as that of Buddy Bolden (by anecdotal evidence). That 
> is part of what made him great.


   Loudness was not a part of what made Louis great.  Louis's sound was 
brilliant  which tended to make him sound loud on recordings but in actual fact, if 
you were there, he was not playing excessively loud.

> >But the mastery without taste and intelligence  . . . hey, Kenny G!! .   I 
> have met classical  (and some big band) players
> >who can play the Arban exercises flawlessly but who couldn't play an ad lib 
> solo to save their lives. There's more to it
> >than technology.
> 
> Wrong analogy, Kenny G is hardly a master of his instrument. In fact, he is 
> less of a master than most  jazz saxophone
> players in Jazz today. That is part of why some players view him with 
> contempt.


  Kenny G is a master of the soprano sax...he just doesn't happen to sound 
like sydney Bechet.   Kenny G has never advertised himself as a great jazz 
player and has shown no pretensions in this arena.  He is what he is and he does 
his music very well.  I don't know of any pros who 'view him with contempt.'


> 
> Why quibble over definitions. The word got a "c" where an "e" would have 
> been better used. Big whoop. What Brown plays is
> much more difficult that what Louis played. He is also light years ahead of 
> Louis "harmonically". 


   You've made a lot of comments about Louis 'is this and that etc. and now 
this statement that Brown is 'light years' ahead of Louis 'harmonically.'  This 
shows once again that you really don't get Armstrong.  Maybe one day you will 
and your life will be richer for it.  Meanwhile, quit pretending that you 
understand and love Louis Armstrong's music.

> 
> Jim Beebe