[Dixielandjazz] 4/4 Rhythm

[Brian Towers]

Interesting input from Steve on the 4 beats to the bar - slightly
tongue-in-cheek I suspect!
Another question - the New Orleans 4 beat sound of the 1920's had quite a
different sound and feel to it than the 4 beat sounds of the 1930/40's swing
era.  Is it because the New Orleanians played right up on top of the beat,
whereas the Swing era rhythm sections played ever-so-slightly behind the
beat?
Perhaps John Petters can enlighten us on this aspect?
Cheers,
Brian Towers

From: "Stephen Barbone" <barbonestreet at earthlink.net>
To: <dixielandjazz at ml.islandnet.com>; <csuhor at zebra.net>
Sent: Sunday, June 20, 2004 5:48 PM
Subject: [Dixielandjazz] 4/4 Rhythm


> >  csuhor at zebra.net Charles Suhor wrote: (polite snip)
> >
> > To get back to the main question, I'd like to hear more about inroads of
> > 4/4 in early jazz, i.e., before the revivals that were surely polluted,
> > enriched, or simply affected (depending on your point of view) by the
pulse
> > of the swing years.
>
> I am a bit surprised that mention of Louis Armstrong has eluded this
discussion so far.
> He is quoted early in career after joining King Oliver in Chicago in the
early 1920s as
> saying on his first night at Lincoln Gardens with the band:
>
> "I particularly enjoyed Lil that night, with that four (4) beats to the
bar-for a woman I
> thought she was really wonderful" (Page 50, "Louis Armstrong, In His Own
Words" edited by
> Thomas Brothers - Oxford University Press.)
>
> There are many other quotes of Louis in various places at various times
from the 1920s
> referring to, in his words, "That good ol New Orleans 4 beat."
>
> I hear 4 beats to the bar from bands Louis played with. That's plus Louis'
words on the
> subject is good enough for me to think that 2 beat banjo tuba came after
New Orleans 4
> beat with its guitar, double bass rhythm. And that N. O. 4 beat preceded
swing as well as
> "Dixieland", as most of us white folks categorize it. And, of course,
occurred well
> before the "revival".
>
> Hey, could it be that banjo - tuba 2 beat polluted the original New
Orleans Jazz Form?
> ;-) VBG.
>
> Cheers,
> Steve Barbone