[Dixielandjazz] Re: WHERE DO WE DRAW THE OKOM LINE?

[TCASHWIGG at aol.com]

In a message dated 8/18/04 12:11:43 PM Pacific Daylight Time, 
mophandl at landing.com writes:

> 
> NOT to draw a line between this kind of jazz and that played by Ornette
> Coleman, later Miles Davis, and John Coltrane is being just plain silly.
> 

I would tend to agree with that statement Don, but I think the original posts 
was simply asking where do we draw the line on OKOM , not Dixieland.  We all 
have different ideas about what OKOM is which is fine.

In my opinion Coleman and Davis and Coltrane, all brilliant musicians are the 
epitome of none swingers as of the way I personally define Swingers.  Highly 
musically educated musicians are often educated beyond their intelligence, and 
certainly the musical intelligence of the average common man in the audience. 
 This leaves them basically suited to perform and be appreciated almost 
exclusively by the academic set and musicians of their own ilk.   But Swing, not 
from a Rope, :)

Much of their music to the common audience sounds like continuous stimulation 
with no idea how or when to ever let go and have that ever elusive musical 
orgasm.  On the other hand the Real Swinging Musicians give the audience the 
titillation in the first sixteen bars and then send em off into a musical climax 
on the turn around.  :))  

I learned if you open strong and convincingly with a song and close strong 
and convincingly it really does not matter much what you play in the middle or 
doodling with solos.


Some Dixieland Swings, and Some does not, some players play swinging 
Dixieland that does not swing because they cannot swing.  Simple as that.  You either 
do or you don't and I don't care if you have a PHD in musicology and a masters 
degree in Music if you can't Swing you can't Swing.  It is something that 
comes from within those musicians blessed with the ability to do so.   I don't 
think you can teach a musician how to SWING, he has to feel it and experiment 
until he or she can let loose all the technical inhibitions and play the tunes 
from the heart with fire in their belly and not from the fake book or carefully 
arranged charts.   Swinging is all about communicating with the audience and 
the other musicians to create that great group musical orgasm.

Now that ought to stimulate some interesting posts.  :)

Running for cover, :)

Cheers,

Tom Wiggins