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

[Charles Suhor]

Remember Condon's immortal witticism?--"The be-boppers flat their 
fifths--We drink ours."

Another major consideration for getting a style/era-related sound, 
beyond chords, is how the guys "comp." Modern comping is wholly 
different setting of course from stride, laying down 4, etc. This goes 
for drummers, too. In Condon's bands, Wettling was the classic 
brilliant Dixieland player, a great colorist but always in the Dixie 
traditon--while Buzzy Drootin sometimes dropped bass drum "bombs." It 
could change the feeling but in its own way it worked. Some wonderful 
rhythm sections have kicked Dixieland bands with very modern chords and 
comping. Some of the best I've heard were John Probst and Jack Sperling 
with Pete Fountain, and Fred Crane, Jay Cave, and Jimmy Zitano with Al 
Hirt in the 60s. Today, Shannon Powell and Ernie Elley know how to 
blend styles well in New Orleans bands. I'm sure there are many others.

Charlie Suhor



On Jul 7, 2005, at 11:29 AM, Charlie Hooks wrote:

>
> 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
>
>> __________________________________________
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> --simple, plausible and wrong."--H.L. Mencken
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