[Dixielandjazz] Re: Dixielandjazz Digest, Vol 6, Issue 43

[Stephen Barbone]

> W. P. Mossel wrote: (polite snip)

> But to say that King Oliver was eclipsed
> by Louis Armstong is an underrating of King Oliver.
> How about Henry "Red" Allen and Bix Beiderbecke for instance? Are they
> eclipsed too?

Well, yes, I am saying exactly that. Louis Armstrong eclipsed them all. But I
don't agree that therefore I underrate Oliver, or Bix, or Allen. Just that I
believe Louis Armstrong was the top guy.

He was the major innovator of this music and folks like Oliver, Bix, Red Allen,
Dizzy Gillespie, Miles Davis, Clifford Brown, Arturo Sandoval are all eclipsed by
Louis Armstrong. That does no mean they are not good or even great players.

Louis was, in my opinion, the single most influential Jazz Musician in the first
50 years of jazz and possibly the first 100 years. He was one of the most
influential musicians of any genre of the 20th century and for me, one of the best
entertainers of the 20th century. Bix, Oliver or Allen don't come close to that.
Nobody in OKOM comes close.

In other words, Louis Armstrong was THE MAN.

Many today may play better than he did. with more virtuosity, better tone, higher,
etc. However, Louis was there first with the most and everyone playing jazz today
owes a debt to him.

It's like Miles Davis said 30 years ago. "You can't play 32 bars in jazz without
playing something something Louis Armstrong already played."

Is there anyone else in Jazz that we could make that kind of a statement about?

Cheers,
Steve Barbone