FW: [Dixielandjazz] Improvisation - revised

[Mark Bauer]

It's a matter of opinion really. There are so many facets to 
improvisation. Louis Armstrong wasn't just an improviser he was an 
inventer of modern jazz improvization language. I don't think you can 
even say that Louis or Wynton are x percent of this or x percent of 
that. They are at such a higher level of playing (understanding 
actually) than you or I are or will be. Louis was doing things in his 
improvisations that would be copied by the swingers(he invented that 
too) and the boppers many years after he did them.

Wynton has studied the masters and modeled his style after the big 
trumpet names of the day. I really like his lectures on jazz history. 
He's a neo-traditionalist and proud. Ya gotta love 'em both.

Brian Harvey wrote:
> Please ignore the first version of this posting.....sorry......
> 
> 
> One of the problems about improvisation seems to occur when a musician has
> an over abundance of technique over what I might call 'soul' or creativity.
> This leads to the objectionable exhibitions of pure technique which have no
> place in jazz.
> The ideal make up of a jazz musician would probably be one
> who has equal measures of technique and soul/creativity.
> We can analyse the "greats" using this formula and come up with interesting
> results.
> Louis for example would probably be 50/50 as would Charlie Parker. Wynton
> Marsalis on
> the other hand would probably be 70/30. And then take a pianist liker Alton
> Purnell of the George Lewis-Bunk Johnson bands - he conversely would
> probably be 20/80.
> No doubt others will take up this thread and disagree with me - but that's
> what this forum is about.
> I look forward to hearing the ideas of others better qualified than I.
> Brian Harvey
> 
> 
> 
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