[Dixielandjazz] New Orleans Jazz Orchestra

[TCASHWIGG at aol.com]

In a message dated 4/16/05 6:28:27 AM Pacific Daylight Time, 
barbonestreet at earthlink.net writes:

> 
> I guess Ben Ratliff was not impressed. (see below)
> 
> Cheers,
> Steve Barbone
> 
> 
> April 16, 2005 - NY TIMES - By BEN RATLIFF
> NEW ORLEANS JAZZ ORCHESTRA
> 
> New Orleans Looseness, Tightly Orchestrated
> 
> 

Appears not Steve:


I have seen and heard Mayfield, and Bill Summers who is his collaborator is a 
friend of mine and I like what they do with Los Calientes.  It works for 
their audience well in New Orleans for the broadminded Black and Latin flavored 
audiences that they attract.

I do not see it playing any better in Lincoln Center than Ratliff describes 
it, " Right act wrong place" and vice versa.  Obviously Ratliff views Mayfield 
as a wannabe clone of Marsallis and he is not too far off the mark, since 
Mayfield was the heir to the throne at the University when Marsallis moved up the 
Politically correct ladder to Lincoln Center.

This is often what happens when refined folks like Mayfield try to take Real 
Jazz and modify it and slick it up with arrangements that they believe to be 
what the ARTS Patrons who want to hear performed like a classical 
orchestration.  Similar things happened to Dr. Michael White's music when he became a DR.  
Before that he was just a great Jazz player in Orleans.

 In my opinion and obviously that of Ratliff too, More often than not it 
simply does not work.   The old adage comet to mind again of less is often more, 
and KISS  (Keep it Simple Stupid) as Artie Shaw taught some of us, the audience 
usually does not know or care what you are doing anyway so long as it moves 
them and sounds good.

In the case of New Orleans music, I would venture to say that those that love 
it and like don't want it changed into classical movements in an ivory tower. 
  

To over arrange good New Orleans Jazz is a simple desecration of the music 
akin to playing classical music to a bebop theme with a washboard solo, for a 
tuxedoed classical and opera audience.  :))


This is what happens when large grants are doled out on the academic side of 
the music, and the artists are expected to be over the cutting edge with their 
commissioned works and encouraged to push the envelope on their new ideas.  
Unfortunately sometimes some of those who get the grants and commissions to do 
such work do not have that much to say and have not yet developed their skills 
at writing publicly acceptable works, after all that would be called 
commercialism and selling out right?  :))   And we all know that ain't Jazz, :))

Now there that outght to stir up some interesting thoughts.


Cheers,

Tom Wiggins
Saint Gabriel's Celestial Brass Band