[Dixielandjazz] Re: The Great Revival

[john petters]

Brian, Steve and Charles have started an interesting thread.
Brian said
> Players like trombonist George Chisholm or saxists like
> Freddy Gardener, pro's playing populasr music in dance bands for a living,
> knew how to rip off the hot stuff we call Dixieland, when they played in
> small groups for their own pleasure.

I worked with George Chis in the late '80s and early '90s. I was struck by
what he said were his influences. It started with Louis - West End Blues,
not the early Hot Fives, nor Morton, nor Oliver. Bix, Red Nichols and early
Duke were other things he heard. He confirmed that a lot of jazz playing was
done after hours when the legit dance gigs were over. George worked with
Fats, recorded with him. He also worked with Hawkins and I think Benny
Carter. The early jazz players in the UK tended to be trained, schooled
musicians who could hold their own in legit reading bands. The Trad
revivalists, on the other hand were mainly enthusiastic amateurs, some with
a great natural abitlity and many with little. Some went on to develop into
reading musicians. The trad revival was a movement where anybody could get
involved.

George Webb, with whom I was gigging in Kent today, started his Dixielanders
in about 1943 as an amateur band, playing old time jazz for fun. Out of that
came such soloists as Wally Fawkes, still playing at age 80, Humphrey
Lytteltonand others. The early Webb band became the Humphrey Lyttelton Band,
producing jazz of a superior quality to much of the revival in the UK. A few
other  bands stand out - Cy Laurie's, on a Johnny Doods kick, Acker Bilk,
with Ken Sims etc, (Roy James who played banjo in that band was also on the
gig with Geo. Webb today, and playing great guitar) the early Colyer band
with Colin Bowden, Mac Duncan & Ian Wheeler, and on a more mainstream kick,
the Sandy Brown band. Most popular, however were the Kenny Ball and Chris
Barber bands, who still do good business today.
Many Brit trad fans cannot take an objective look at the music, since it was
of their youth and nostalgia plays a part. I was born in 53, so missed the
revival and got to hear in in retrospect alongside recordings of Armstrong,
Morton etc. There was no contest as far as I was concerned.
Can the revival happen again? I don't know, but BBC Radio 2 is plugging two
young performers of popular songs, Jamie Culham and Clare Teal, who to my
ears are not totally convincing, but can they turn the ears of a rock
indoctrinated yourth on to sounds more melodic and swinging? If so could
that audience make the leap to Dixieland?

John Petters
Amateur Radio Station G3YPZ
www.traditional-jazz.com