[Dixielandjazz] listening to OKOM is absolutely essential

[john petters]

Steve said
> But have you listened to ALL that Marsalis has done with New Orleans Jazz?
All the radio broadcasts etc?

No - but I did see his swing band at the proms last time on TV - it was OK,
but the earth didn't move

> There is always much to learn, but what have you learned specifically from
the last time you listened to Baby Dodds, that you did not already know?
>
I was listening This is Jazz broadcasts during last week, and picked up a
little accent that Dodds used that I had missed before. Studying the Johnny
Dodds repertoire prior to recording our recent tribute CD also meant looking
again at Baby's playing, especially what he was doing on the rind  out
chorus on Jelly's Wolverine Blues. Fact is I've had these recordings for
over 30 years and could still find things I had overlooked. 

>Those that speak of mysterious "inner rhythms"
that cannot be duplicated by competent jazz musicians are hearing something
>that isn't there.
Do you not hear the inner rhythms in Baby Dodds drumming? To the untrained
ear he sounds sloppy when playing triplets, but with Dodds you get a bredth
to the beat which isn't there in most other players and certainly not the
white drummer like Krupa for example.

> I guarantee you, that if a competent group of jazz musicians wanted to
duplicate King Oliver, they could come very close.

Steve - they would not get that close. The Oliver band was unique, all they
would get is the flavour, if they were lucky. Yes nobody wants to clone
anybody and the right way is to always react to something yourself rather
than slavishly copy it.

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