Subject: Re: [Dixielandjazz] ODJB

[DWSI at aol.com]

How on earth does a black musician play like a 
white one? What on earth is the difference? Do you have any examples of what 
you have just asserted? Arn.

Arn: You ask a great question. I don't have a scientific answer but other 
experts do. In my opinion, one of the best books ever written on this subject is: 
Sources of Power, How People Make Decisions, by Gary Klein. Klein is a 
legitimate scientist who studied decision making in combat situations for the U.S. 
Government. He basically showed that structured decision making was not what 
happened in life and death decisions. Instead, experienced decision makers 
relied on patterns, what was there and what was not there, based upon their total 
experience. They felt more than thought the answer. Great book. In my opinion, 
he explains how we can recognize "black" or any other kind of music. Let's not 
look for the answer in some scale that we can use to add or subtract or weigh 
something. By the way, if you haven't listened to the preteen kids music, try 
it for shock value. It is the most "black" sounding music I have ever heard. 
Maybe it's that time. We're all going to have to learn to sound black now.

Dan (piano fingers) Spink