[Dixielandjazz] Reponses to my Top 10 list

[Charles Suhor]

The listmates who responded to my Top 10 list by saying that Dixieland Jazz
just isn't POPULAR, so it can't gain an audience are right on the first
point, I think, but at least partly off on the second.

Granted, it isn't popular, but let's not mix up cause and effect. My list
was about WHY it's not popular. Some of the causes can be at least
partially addressed (like getting savvy about promotion, as Tom Wiggins
said). We're probably stuck with other causes, like the negative baggage of
the term "Dixieland." (In the fifties, DOWN BEAT has a contest to find a
new name for "Jazz," since the term had been misused and abused! The winner
was "Crewcut" music, supposedly in contrast to classical/longhair. Man, did
that work, or not?)

This demonstrates that you can't force people to like what they don't like,
as          John Farrel said. And it's also true that OKOM will probably
never be at the top of the charts. But with pressure, promotion, and grass
roots work we can EXPOSE young and old alike to the music, because they
surely won't like it if they don't hear it on the radio, in their schools,
etc. We're barely large enough to be a niche audience right now, but with
more exposure we could become recognized as a subculture of fans that can
be served better in the media. After all, there was a modest popular
revival in the entrie decade of the forties, after swing had come to
dominate popular music.

One place to stir up more teachers might be IAJE (International Association
of Jazz Educators). If there's an IAJE subgroup devoted to teaching
pre-swing jazz styles, it's a mighty silent one. And when I went to their
conventions I don't recall seeing Dixieland groups among literally dozens
of professional and student bands. (Their annual January convention, by the
way, is undoubtedly the best and cheapest sustained jazz festival anywhere.
Mostly modern, but it's wall-to-wall jazz.)

The anti-early jazz bias shows up among so many writers also. One reason I
wrote a book about jazz in postwar N.O. was that an earlier book with the
subtitle, "New Orleans Music Since World War II" dealt with the growth of
R&B and modern jazz but totally ignored the rich revival of traditional
N.O. jazz and Dixieland from 1947-1953 (Bonano, Fazola, Celestin, Lewis,
Almerico, Dukes, Basin Street 6, etc.) Inexcusable.

I think jazz radio is another potential entry, but I'm not among the
fire-eaters who can go after the DJs on that one. I've already pissed off
some of them with my article against playing long "sets" before identifying
the artists and tunes. Later I'll write up for you-all a summary of the 80
or so responses. They were overwhelmingly in favor of more timely
info--except for about a dozen DJs who don't want to change their formulas!
We're working with some truly unimaginative people here.

Charles Suhor