[Dixielandjazz] Miscellaneous Ramblings

[Stephen Barbone]

Re: McCoy Tyner:

Did not mean to convey the impression that I do not like Tyner's
playing. He always plays his ass off. However, he has not been creating
as his now does in the performance reviewed by Ratliff. The point was
not whether one likes or dislikes Tyner's playing, I personally like it
ALL. The point of the post was that he has reinvented his sound and
that's a good thing. Too few of us in the jazz business do that. We
coast along doing the same old thing as if we were Monk, Bird or Louis
Armstrong. Yes, they were able to do that but they were extraordinary
jazz musicians. Since the rest of us are not, we find ourselves getting
lost in the shuffle when we do not recharge our batteries. We also lose
the audience and that happened to Tyner. It also seems to be happening
now to most "OKOM" Jazz Bands. In my book, when one loses the audience,
one becomes passe.

Re: Hopland California.

It is near Pothead in Northern La La land.


Re: Business Opportunities.

Just returned home from playing the Republican political nominating
convention in Delaware for Congress and Governor. (Yeah, the candidate
supporting demonstrators threw beads) Booked a bunch more in Delaware
and now in Pennsylvania, fund raisers and stuff. Remember when we all
used to play jazz at those events? Well check out your local campaign
HQ. Perhaps you'll get lucky like we did.

Cheers,
Steve Barbone