[Dixielandjazz] Sam Morgan band, 4/4, solos, etc.

[Charles Suhor]

Brian & all--

I often wonder about the Morgan band's 4-to-the-bar bass line. It seems
that the 2-beat wasn't merely what we associate with Dixieland but was by
far the norm in the earliest jazz, and Morgan's style was an interesting
departure rather than a  perfect prototype.

Paul Barbarin said that he didn't hear 4/4 until his career was well
underway, and almost all others who recorded in the 20's, including the
jazz-influenced, mostly-reading bands on the "Jazz the World Forgot" and
"New Orleans in New Orleans" CDs, were doing oom-pah two-beat, often with a
tuba and under the continued influence of march music. The banjo often (but
not always) provided a contrasting 4/4 but the tuba or bass fiddle and
drums defined a feeling of "2" in the pulse.

The Morgan tracks I've heard are for sure lusty, vigorous ensemble pieces
that are beautifully driven by the 4/4 bass. Wow, when the full drumset was
playing on site that must have been a powerful sound!

I also wonder if the merited appreciation of early no-solo group improv
sometimes goes too far in the direction of devaluing the solo format that
developed around the 20s. I don't see that in Brian's message, but soloing
has been condemned by folks like Ralph Collins and Tom Bethell as
everything from egotism to chaos. Hey, things changed, solos happened,
Louis epitomized it, get over it. That didn't stink. Start a good
all-ensemble band of your own if you want to keep working in that form, and
we can enjoy that, too.

Charlie


BRIAN TOWERS wrote:

The rare Sam Morgan band recordings of 1927 represents a perfect 1920's New
Orleans styled jazz for many of us "hard-backed" traditionalists and here
are someof the reasons:
1) The emphasis is on the ensemble sound, rather than the individual solo
and so there is always a flowing and polyphonic counterpoint.  It really is
a team effort - no stars but good all round musicians who understand the
art.
2) The string bass focuses on a powerful  "four beats to the bar" style,
rather than the more familiar "two-beat" which we associate more with
dixieland jazz., though the bassist also does some occasional 2 beat bowing
from time to time....