[Dixielandjazz] Ride Cymbols & Electric Guitarts in Dixieland.

[Steve barbone]

> "LARRY'S Signs etc" <sign.guy at charter.net> wrote (polite snip)
>  
> Don't get me wrong I really love swing too but in my opinion a
> ride cymbal has about as much place in traditional jazz as electric guitars
> have.  Of course some of the newer tunes done in the style could of course use
> a ride with no problem.

What, no electric guitars? Shoot, that finishes my band. Been using one as
the chord instrument 4 years now. No wonder we can't get more than 160
Dixieland gigs a year. Any banjo players out there at liberty? :-) VBG

Seriously, Sidney Bechet went into Nick's in Greenwich Village, NYC circa
1940 and in his band had two, count em 2 electric guitars. Glad I hadn't met
him yet and told him that was a no-no. He might have shot me. But then, what
did he know about trad jazz? ;-) VBG

Kenny Davern also cut some sides within the last decade with guitarist
Howard Alden, and/or Bucky Pizzarelli, and sometimes with both. Farewell
Blues is one of the numbers. Swings its ass off. "My Inspiration" also
features the Bob Haggart Orchestra and Strings on some numbers. Someone
asked Kenny if that wasn't selling out, "going commercial". Replied Davern,
"Sure its commercial, by why else would you make a record except to sell
it?" Why else indeed?

IMO the instrumentation can be whatever you want it to be. EG In 1905, Buddy
Bolden used a guitar and double bass in his jazz band and added a violin for
the dance/jazz version. Say, that's exactly the same instrumentation I will
use this weekend for my 16 hours of Swinging Dixieland at the local horse &
carriage event, right down to adding the violin.  Thus I am the epitome of
tradition and the rest who do not use that line up are imposters.

The guitar is amplified, but so what? So is the bass because we are in a
large venue and want to be heard by at least 5000 people.

Cheers,
Steve Barbone