[Dixielandjazz] "Oriental Jazz"

[LARRY'S Signs and Large Format Printing]

One of the fun tunes is one called Morocco blues.  I can see a composer
setting down and asking himself what will sell? Blues comes to mind because
in the 20's anything with blues in the title sold.  Then let's give it an
exotic name.  I think I'll call it Morocco Blues.  Then what kind of dance
shall it be?  Ah yes a Tango.

The writers intention to sell copies is so transparent it makes you laugh
but it's not a bad tune anyway.  And  it's not even a blues.
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Steve barbone" <barbonestreet at earthlink.net>
To: "DJML" <dixielandjazz at ml.islandnet.com>
Sent: Tuesday, March 15, 2005 9:05 AM
Subject: [Dixielandjazz] "Oriental Jazz"


> List mates:
>
> Shortly after World War One ended, the Tin Pan Alley composers started
> writing pseudo oriental tunes. There was a groundswell of audience
interest
> in tunes about the "inscrutable" East.
>
> (Mysterious maybe, but not inscrutable) :-) VBG
>
> Most of these tunes were written not by Orientals, but by guys named
> Schwartz.
>
> It was a popular song subject phase for a while and everybody and his
> brother wrote Oriental Songs to make money at it. You were virtually
> guaranteed a HIT SONG if it had an oriental theme.
>
> If you are a silent movie buff, you know that there were a lot of
"Oriental
> Tunes" played as accompaniment by the pianist. This may also have helped
the
> market for them. The below from a silent movie history book.
>
> "There is also no shortage of Asian or "Oriental" tunes which were steeped
> in stereotype, and may actually have helped establish the precedent of
> traditional musical stereotypes for many decades that followed. Similar
but
> equal treatment was offered for Middle-Eastern nationalities as well in
the
> form of Arabian and "Hindoo" melodies."
>
> Oriental Jazz was not a genre. It was the jazzing up of Oriental theme
> popular tunes written first for silent movie background and then by Tin
Pan
> Alley composers for the mass market.
>
> Cheers,
> Charlie Chan
>
>
>
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