[Dixielandjazz] Oliver and Armstrong - relative "loudness"

[john petters]

Anton said
> As always, the records speak for themselves. Is Armstrong almost 5 metres
> from the recording horns when he solos in "Chimes blues" and leads the
> ensemble, after the clarinet bridge, in "Froggie Moore"? Are Oliver and
> Armstrong almost 5 metres apart during their two-cornet breaks in "Snake
> rag"? Highly improbable.
>
I'm listening to the records as I type this. There is no way that Louis is
15 feet from the horn on Chimes Blues. Even with the acoustic process you
would get a distant sound with some room acoustic. He sounds like he is
blowing close into the horn.
I then checked to see if I had some acoustic recordings with room  reverb
and found Bohunkus Blues by Johnny Dodds. This does have a bit of distance
effect to my ears and its not been put on by the rematering engineer because
my copy was done by John RT.
I then found the Armstrong moonlighting sides with Dodds (I'm Going Hunting
etc) and Louis is playing dynamically, very quiet but still with a big tone.
Having a big tone does not ncessarily mean playing loud.
The thing about Louis as Roy Eldridge said, he tells a story. His solos
build logically, dynamically and with heat.

> Other relevant information that should be taken into consideration are
Baby
> Dodds' account of the recording session (given in Larry Gara, "The Baby
> Dodds Story", 1959) - Armstrong was positioned behind Oliver but with
> Johnny Dodds and Honore Dutray; and Armstrong's own, later, account given
> to Phil Elwood (reported in Collier, 1983) - the band crowded around the
> horn with Johnny Dodds in front and Armstrong standing a little behind
Oliver.
I think this is likely to be the truth.


John Petters
Amateur Radio Station G3YPZ
www.traditional-jazz.com