[Dixielandjazz] Black & white Dixielanders, New Orleans variation

[Charles Suhor]

The matter of black musicians being relatively rare in Dixieland bands
today takes of a different shade in New Orleans. Here's a quick gloss from
a native's-eye view...

During the bebop revolution of the late forties, most of the city's young
black jazzmen and many whites took up modern jazz, seeing traditional New
Orleans jazz (TNOJ) and Dixieland as dated. For years the young modernists
had virtually no audience, so they played at each others' houses, after
hours sessions, and strip clubs, often in mixed bands that defied
segregation laws.

It was white youths like Pete Fountain, the Assunto brothers, George
Girard, Connie Jones, Murphy Campo, and Pee Wee Spitellera who were in the
second line behind the Dixieland jazzmen (Bonano, Fazola, Almerico, Hug,
etc.) in the local postwar revival. It wasn't until years later that it
became marginally hip for young blacks to play in traditional marching
bands and TNOJ/Dixieland styles. This was due partly to the great efforts
of teacher-musicians like Danny Barker and some of the Preservation Hall
players of the sixties.

As momentum grew for the city to resurrect its image as the home of early
jazz styles, it simply became profitable for blacks and whites alike to
learn the old tunes and traditional styles. As many of you well know,
players from all over the world who loved with early jazz had long since
visited or migrated to the city. In very recent times, Wynton Marsalis'
promotion of the study and playing early styles has helped. So today there
are marching, TNOJ, and Dixieland bands are all over the city. I no longer
live there, but in my frequent visit I've found that the quality varies
from embarrassingly bad to excellent.

I should note that there were always some players who could move
comfortably, when they wanted to, in different jazz settings. Among the
first were Bill Huntington, Wallace Davenport, George and Bob French, Reed
Vaughan, Don Suhor, Ted Riley, Clarence Ford, and Olvier "Stick" Felix.
Later came Leroy Jones (plenty of Clifford Brown in his playing) and a host
of others. This was true elsewhere, of course.

Moldy Figs and other purists don't much like such players' music, but if
you don't show up with a little book of rules that says what the REAL jazz
is, you find a lot to enjoy in it. In January at the Palm Court Jazz Cafe I
heard a brilliant jam session that was integrated in every way. The
musicians were from many jazz orientations, and they were black, white, and
yellow, young and old, male and female, native and immigrant. They played
standard tunes, urging each other on as they listened sensitively. To my
ears, it all worked beautifully.  Jazz is freedom, and that's what it was
all about.

Charles Suhor