[Dixielandjazz] Leonard Feather, ersatz hipster

[Butch Thompson]

On 7/17/03 2:00 PM, "dixielandjazz-request at ml.islandnet.com"
<dixielandjazz-request at ml.islandnet.com> wrote:

Bill Gunter wrote this:

> I recalled saying something to Feather about the small amount of black bands
> available. I indicated that most black bands were not playing dixieland (and
> we were the "Sacramento DIXIELAND Jubilee"). Feather recalled that comment
> in his column and said that "it didn't wash" and he cited a New Orleans band
> called "The Dirty Dozen."  We were, of course, familiar with the Dirty
> Dozen. We considered them but they demanded waaayyyy to much money and that,
> added to the fact they really didn't play dixieland, kept us from booking
> them.

No surprise.  There seems to be a kind of deliberate obtuseness adopted by
many writers and, unfortunately, musicians who claim to appreciate all
styles of jazz.  I suspect that Feather deliberately mentioned the Dirty
Dozen to show that he was hip to their music, but that the hicks in
Sacramento just couldn't latch on.  Pretty sneaky, because I'm sure he knew
that the Dirty Dozen was an inappropriate suggestion. This kind of
oneupmanship is a persistent and tiresome  feature of much jazz writing.  I
don't think LF invented this kind of criticism, but certainly his ruthless
use of it is unique among jazz critics.

Butch Thompson