[Dixielandjazz] DISNEY MUSIC - OKOM?

[TCASHWIGG at aol.com]

In a message dated 10/14/04 8:19:17 AM Pacific Daylight Time, 
barbonestreet at earthlink.net writes:

> 
> He added: "I think there are people who view Walt Disney as manipulative and
> oversentimentalized, but for these men it really was a great place for them
> to work. They were very secure and there was this camaraderie. There was no
> ego about it, which is why it's sometimes hard now to separate the work of
> one from the other.
> 
> "Together, they seemed to be able to connect America with something very
> moral, and very primitive in our childhood, and their work should get more
> recognition."
> 
> 

Alas!  But they were perfect sidemen ( No ego) with a steady gig, and yes 
they created very moral music, you can bet there was no boozing or pot smoking 
going on in Wonderland, or even Adventureland, not exactly a creative Jazz 
atmosphere for most OKOMer's I have known.

But on the good side, they had steady pay checks, medical benefits, a clean 
and safe place to work, didn't have to fight with the leader every day and 
didn't worry about the boss going out of business.  Perhaps they can now join the 
ever growing list of unsung heroes behind the names of the great musical 
heroes that used their services.  Ah but the price of fleeting fame and recognition 
'tis a hard road to hoe no matter which fork you choose.

Too bad these guys did not have a press agent, maybe they would have been as 
famous or more so than Stan Kenton and Harry James, or maybe not, maybe they 
were more comfortable staying out of the limelight and having all that fun 
touring the country in a bus sleeping in funky old hotels, with a bunch of dope 
smoking, Heroin shooting, hard boozing hip jazz players being chased by loose 
women every night of their wretched lives.

Glad to see them get some recognition, but how and why did the uncaring city 
council of Anaheim let the collection go to New York? Why didn't they simply 
put it in their own museum and make another tourist attraction in California?  
Oh well, probably didn't sound like a good idea at the time.  Worse yet the 
folks running Anaheim probably never heard of these guys either and with no Name 
recognition there is little chance of getting honored in LA LA LAND why would 
anyone honor anyone who was not important enough to make the person 
presenting the honor look more important for doing so.


Cheers,

Tom Wiggins