[Dixielandjazz] Re: Dixielandjazz Digest, Vol 7, Issue 86

[DWSI at aol.com]

In a message dated 7/27/2003 3:14:52 PM Eastern Daylight Time, 
dixielandjazz-request at ml.islandnet.com writes:

> Subject: [Dixielandjazz] Top 10 Reasons--decline of Dixieland Jazz

To add a thought to Charles' well written explanations: It seems to me that 
both classic ragtime and Dixieland suffer in large part from their incredible 
success as icons--graphic and musical--and the locked up historical view of how 
Dixieland (and Ragtime) evolved into more modern jazz forms. And we are the 
ones locked into those stereotypes quite often. To innovate around or, "mess 
with," Dixieland as a style today, in ways other than what Dizzy or other 
modernists did is somehow assumed to be a rewriting of musical history. But why? 
Balcolm wrote some great "new" ragtime (Gray Ghost) and the so-called fusion 
movement (mixing jazz with rock) were two examples. Why don't we try to invent 
beyond traditional Dixieland in our own styles? As long as respect the source, I 
say, it could be very interesting.

Dan (piano fingers) Spink