[Dixielandjazz] Clarinet/Saxophone doubling

[Tim Eldred]

Allow me to emerge from lurking to offer a comment.....

The debate about what "should be" to make it match what "has been" is, in my
humble opinion, what can kill OKOM, if it is taken seriously.   What matters
is whether a group has a great sound and style - no matter the
instrumentation.  I've heard "specific instrumentation" groups that were
more boring and awful than I care to remember.....while some unique
instrumentation groups were fantastic - even though I admit that it
sometimes took someone's recommendation to get me to listen to them.  (I
hope I have become less structured and more open in my subsequent
listening....)  One recent group I heard was the traditional seven-piece
trad band, but should have been named "Dead White Guys Playing."  A couple
of them seemed to be enjoying themselves on stage, but the overall
impression was of a boring, dead group and sound -  the audience was tuned
out.  In my opinion, that group did major damage to OKOM music and offered
nothing to show why folks should listen it today.  Safe, traditional, and
sleep-inducing.

About a month ago, I heard a group play a version of "High Society" without
the traditional, classic solo/chorus.  Guess what?  It worked with a style,
verve, and energy that got the audience on their feet - and they never knew
what they "missed"!!!

Find what you love and go with it.  The audience will sense whether you are
merely performing, or are truly communicating......

Tim Eldred
Roseville, CA