[Dixielandjazz] Violin in Jazz

[D and R Hardie]

Steve.
  Your so called Spam Filter link doesn't work. Sorry to use DJML to let 
you know
Dan Hardie

On Sunday, March 13, 2005, at 10:11  AM, D and R Hardie wrote:

> Hi Steve,
>  While the Bolden band photo shows 2 clarinets other evidence confirms 
> that he most often had a violin lead. Our experiments
> with the 2 clarinet lead  formula have not yet proved fruitful, being 
> confused about who was doing what, but we did try piccolo lead  (a la 
> the Eagle band with Bab Frank as leader and Bunk Johnson on cornet). 
> That was a good sound.
>  I did read a comment somewhere that the Creole Orchestra sounded much 
> like the ODJB
> when the latter was not playing hell for leather for recording 
> purposes.
> Our current  line up is the same as the Creole Orchestra. Played with 
> sensitivity the continuous violin lead does not need to be  screechy, 
> though Shiek's comments sound right on. It can also be very jazzy 
> indeed in the right hands. The sweet sounding cornet is well matched 
> to the fiddle's tone.
>  Let's have a copy of the wax cylinder  record when you get it.
> regards
> Dan Hardie
> On Saturday, March 12, 2005, at 03:10  PM, Steve barbone wrote:
>
>> Loved Dan Hardie's comments and wonder about what The Creole 
>> Orchestra from
>> New Orleans sounded like. Circa 1914 Los Angeles
>>
>> Freddie Keppard Cornet
>> George Baquet Clarinet
>> Eddie Venson, Trombone
>> Jimmy Palao, Violin (leader)
>> W. M. Johnson, Double Bass
>> W.M. Williams, Guitar
>> D. Johnson, Drums
>>
>> Or the Original Superior Orchestra circa 1906 with Bunk Johnson on 
>> Cornet,
>> Peter Bocage on Violin and Big Eye Louis Nelson on Clarinet. Plus 
>> others and
>> the exact same instrumentation as the Creoles above. There are 
>> numerous
>> early photographs of many bands with this same 7 piece 
>> instrumentation.
>>
>> I think, like Dan Hardie says, the violin played the lead in these 7 
>> piece
>> bands. We started doing it that way from the first moment Jonathan 
>> played
>> with us. Just happened naturally. I called a tune, trumpet started to 
>> play
>> lead, but heard J playing lead so trumpet switched to counterpoint. 
>> Just
>> seemed to be natural way to do things. After that, I always asked J 
>> if he
>> wants lead to avoid surprises and he does want lead, except on tunes 
>> he has
>> never played before. Violin lead is a wonderful sound.
>>
>> And though Barbone Street is often characterized as a somewhat 
>> "modernized"
>> Dixieland Band, please note that our instrumentation with J is 
>> identical to
>> that of the 1914 Creole Orchestra and the 1906 Original Superior 
>> Orchestra.
>> Without J it is identical to that of the 1905 Buddy Bolden Orchestra.
>>
>> Like how much more "Trad" can one get? :-) VBG
>>
>> And since they never recorded, how does one know that we don't sound 
>> exactly
>> like they did? :-) VBG
>>
>> Cheers,
>> Steve Barbone
>>
>>
>>
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>
>
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