[Dixielandjazz] Uniforms - Public Perception

[Steve barbone]

Answer to Tom Wiggins Post below after answer:

Well, Tom, I guess we will have to agree to disagree. Having shared two
evenings on stage, alternating sets (within the past 3 years) with two of
the touring units of Preservation Hall, shared drinks and some lively
chatter with them before and after, had my trumpet player approached by
young Jaffe to tour with them, listened to Brunious and my guitarist revive
memories of Las Vegas where they played together 35 years ago, besides
having visited Preservation Hall several times in new Orleans I offer the
following:

IMO, it is as authentic FOLK MUSIC to the original concept as you can get.
Jaffe and the players strive for it. It is not a marching unit like St Gabe,
or Dirty Dozen, or a Condon type unit like mine. And should not be compared
to other groups unless those groups are striving for original sounds of the
turn of the century. That is what they seek to do and they do it well.

Who are you (especially) and I to fault the founders (Jaffe's dad) for
making money at it? How else would it be viable?

We don't have to like their sound, or whatever, but we should acknowledge
that this is the most popular Trad Jazz Band in the world. Yeah, they may be
a bunch of old men, however the units I played with, and have seen touring
play pretty well. (Brunious, et al with young Jaffe on bass) And actually,
their average age is about 10 years younger than my band.

Regarding playing with a band when one doesn't have anything better to do,
that is the way of the current musical scene for those of us making a living
as players. It is those "better" gigs that pay the bills and so we all
gravitate to them. Fortunately, I have developed the "better" gigs in my
region for my band and so I attract the premier musicians and work with 45
of the best of them around.

The are surely "better" musicians than the members of Preservation Hall
around, and surely better musicians than members of St Gabe's and/or Barbone
Street. But that should not detract from what Preservation Hall, or what
you, or I are doing. Nobody does what PH does better than they do. Likewise
for St Gabe's and Barbone Street.

Cheers,
Steve 

tcashwigg at aol.com at tcashwigg at aol.com wrote: (about Preservation Hall:

> Now here I find myself in disagreement with my buddy Steve:
> 
> Having been there and seen and heard that same situation that Larry
> speaks of and knowing personally some of the Current past Preservation
> Hall players, that occupy the seats in the band when they don't have a
> better gig to do.
> 
> we need to look beyond the Preservation Hall Title and Myth of the
> building, and understand that it and the Preservation Hall Foundation
> itself is another Non Profit well intentioned once upon a time effort
> by a ( White Jewish I believe ) and nothing wrong with that either, so
> don't get on any Anti Semitic case with me here folks. ) to try and
> preserve the institutions and the music. Who the Hell ever said they
> did or knew how to do it correctly either. But why the Hell kill a
> Golden Goose if it is still producing Golden eggs? That's just the way
> it's done.
> 
> Do the current musicians playing in the Preservation Hall make any
> more money than the tired old guys who inhabited the place for a
> century because they could not get a better gig or make any more money?
> Hell no. Do they get any more respect as Musicians? Hell no, they are
> actually looked down upon by many other musicians other than the
> Preservationist who buy into the myth and wish the Hell they could play
> there or at least sit in with those guys, and fulfill their perverted
> unrealistic idea of being a Jazz Musician. For God's sakes guys there
> are better Jazz musicians playing on the streets of New Orleans for
> tips than what they hire in the Preservation Hall Jazz band. At least
> there were prior to the recent hurricanes and floods.
> 
> The only thing many organizations and players who follow the rules of
> Preservation are preserving is the mediocrity of revivalist who
> perhaps, simply had no idea of what the hell they were reviving in the
> first place.