[Dixielandjazz] The nature of chord progressions for an Eddie Condon sounding band.

[Charlie Hooks]

On Thursday, July 7, 2005, at 12:18 AM, Graham Martin wrote:

>
> So, I have some questions with regard to chord progressions.
>
>
>
> 1.     Do the types of chords used in a progression add interest for 
> the listener? Even if they don't know why.
>
> 2.     Do the types of chords used date a band - as to the period of 
> jazz they are playing? In other words, did they use different chords 
> in the nineteen twenties, to the nineteen fifties, or the twenty 
> first century, if it comes right down to it?
>
> 3.     Do the types of chords used in a progression by the rhythm 
> section influence greatly the lines used by frontline players in the 
> Dixieland ensemble and in their solos?
>
> 4.     This is my most important question! If my band is trying to 
> reproduce something like the sound of a 1950's Eddie Condon Band, 
> what type of chord progressions should be used? To qualify this 
> somewhat: To my ear Condon of that decade is more or less the same 
> sound I am hearing played today by musicians like Jon-Erik Kellso, 
> Ed Polcer, Tommy Saunders, Jim Cullum, etc., etc. I will stop at 
> trumpet players because I think you will realise the OKOM that I am 
> talking about.

	
O.K., ignoring the sage advice that "a closed mouth gathers no feet," 
I'll jump in here.

In Chicago one of our very top pianists is Steve Behr, a unique 
player in almost all ways, who can shift deliberately from one era to 
another in musical style.  And Steve told me years ago that the main 
difference between the older styles (of the twenties, early thirties) 
and the "modern" styles is the use of minor seventh chords.  The 
twenties bands used no minor sevenths.   And you can try this for 
yourselves: a modern player, going from, say, C to G7 will almost 
always prefer at least a passing Dm7 that will resolve into the G7; 
in the twenties the change would have been directly to the G7.

Steve says that he always has to decide before playing a tune whether 
or not to use the minor seventh plus resolution.  And his choice does 
directly affect the overall sound, suggesting to me as a front line 
player somewhat different lines of improv.

Then, too, in support of Steve's statement is my experience working 
in Detroit for years with Ragtime Charlie Rasch, a wonderful player 
whose entire life is lived in the twenties--in dress, in camera (he 
uses a Kodak bellows with roll film)--I'm saying that Charlie is 
nothing if not authentic.  The notes he plays will be exactly the 
ones on the piano rolls he owns. You get the picture.  Well, Charlie 
simply will not play a minor seventh chord!  Not ever.  "Aw," he'll 
grin, "that's too modern."

Condon's bands were much too modern for Charlie, and one of the main 
reasons is that minor seventh resolution; but they used in general 
the kinds of chords Billy Kyle played on Louis' 1955 band with Arvell 
and Trummy and Barrett.  Now Barrett could also switch back and 
forth, and I'm on at least one recording with him and with Steve Behr 
where one track is deliberately in the twenties style.  The 
difference is quite easy to hear.

Hope this helps.

Charlie Hooks

> __________________________________________
"For every one of the great problems of life there is an answer 
--simple, plausible and wrong."--H.L. Mencken