[Dixielandjazz] Learning to play jazz

[Dan Augustine]

Hey--
     Some good threads about learning to play jazz, specifically 
dixieland, even if not identified as such, have been posted recently.
     Here in the outback (Austin, Texas), where Country is King and 
Jazz is "uh, what was that?", the populace is willing and ready, but 
the musicians are light.  We have many good musicians, on various 
instruments, but we have few places to practice our style of music 
(OKOM), and we have little communication among practitioners of our 
style (how do we find who can do dat?).
     As you can see, this is a problem not unique to Austin, but to 
any city or area.  How do you a) find others like you who like this 
style of music, b) get together to listen to this style and learn the 
songs and licks, and c) form a movement of musicians who are willing 
to play no-paying or bad-paying gigs in order to create a demand for 
this kind of music?
     Posts by musicians of vast talent and experience seem to indicate 
(in my best academic phraseology) that one of the best ways to learn 
how to play dixieland (or any style of music, for that matter) is 
through a) genius, or b) a personal relationship with a musician who 
already knows how to do it.  A number of posts by folks here on DJML 
say that they had mentors from whom they learned the basics of this 
style of music.
     Well.  Lacking a) genius, and b) mentors, what else might we do? 
One thing recently (like, yesterday) suggested is having jam 
sessions.  I think this is a great idea.
     One of the best ways to find out if you're playing jazz or just 
(please excuse the expression) 'whacking off' is to (again, your 
forebearace is appreciated) expose your playing to the ears of other 
musicians.  If you can handle your part in an unfamiliar tune without 
numerous groups of fellow-players casting the contents of their 
stomachs upon you, you may have a future in this wonderful backwater 
of a mis-identified and highly mis-understood style.
     A proposal has been made here in Austin (well, Round Rock) to 
have some jam sessions, and who knows where it will lead, but as 
someone said, the best way to learn how to play jazz is to try to 
play jazz.  Worth a shot, eh?

     Dan
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**  Dan Augustine     Austin, Texas     ds.augustine at mail.utexas.edu  **
**    "It is not necessary to understand things in order to argue     **
**     about them." --  Caron de Beaumarchais                         **
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