[Dixielandjazz] Who is playing OKOM?

[Bill Gunter]

Hi Listmates -

Cees van den Heuvel sent me a most interesting e-mail which deserves some 
consideration.

What he said was:

---> Start Cees' e-mail

To start: jazz is NOT an American art form. It's African and it's BLACK!
All Americans and Europeans are just copying African art!
In that way we are equal! To say it's invented in the U.S.A, is, and
now I quote Bill, is BULL SHIT!
At last I'm, triggered by Bill,leaving my politeness.
The remarks about beer are nearly spot on, drinking Coors
for instance is like drinking piss, which is only acceptable in
SM-circumstances.
Another item: the lack of black musicians at American Jazz
festivals, will open up a can of worms beyond American imagination

---> End Cees' e-mail

This basically boils down into three main concerns which Cees has:

1. American beer is inferior.

2. American's didn't invent jazz. It's African and it's BLACK!

3. Black musicians are not participating in American Jazz Festivals.

Good observations all and certainly there are elements of truth in 
everything Cees says.

For example, his disdain for American beer is shared by many of us in the 
U.S.A. who routinely order imported beer and pass up domestic beer when 
we're out on the town. So no argument with Cees on that score.

On point number two above . . . certainly nobody will dispute the great 
contributions Blacks have made to the art form. Jazz owes a great debt to 
past jazz musicians and to the Black culture in general.  But most of us 
recognize there are a number of other influences besides Black culture that 
have an impact on the nature of jazz. The energy and excitement of the 
burgeoning industrial age, the influence of other art forms (martial music, 
quadrilles, gospel music, folk songs, classical instrumentation [reeds, 
brass, strings, etc.] popular music of the time [circa 1890's to approx. 
1940] the musical milieu in and around the south in general and New Orleans 
in particular, ragtime music from such musicians as Scott Joplin and others 
- all occurred in America's back yard.

And yes . . . Cees is correct, I believe, in identifying Black musicians as 
important sources of this new art form . . . but they were American Blacks 
and Black/French American Creoles, along with quite a few whites, who 
midwifed the birthing pangs of jazz.

Lastly, on point number 3 above (Black's not participating in American Jazz 
Festivals), I suppose it depends on which sort of jazz festivals you mean.

Most of what we're familiar with is DIXIELAND jazz.  Even the name of this 
forum is "Dixieland Jazz Mailing List" - and I agree that we are not 
overloaded with Black musicians in this particular genre of jazz 
(dixieland).

I've heard it argued that Blacks are no longer interested in dixieland music 
and have moved on to more contemporary forms of jazz.  Could be a fair 
amount of truth to that.

And, to be realistic, dixieland jazz is truly dated and audiences are 
steadily diminishing at American Dixieland Jazz Festivals.  Mainly they're 
attended by aging white folks who are trying to keep alive the music of 
their (my) youth.  Can't fault them for that . . . but, ultimately I think 
those (our) dixieland jazz musicians are a dying breed.  Nevertheless, it is 
OKOM (Our Kind Of Music) and we do what we can to keep it alive.

Blacks, it would seem are to be found at the sorts of jazz festivals which 
most of us are not interested in attending.  Furthermore, to make a pithy 
observation here, it seem's like most of the black musical energy today is 
being expended in something called "Rap" music which tends to be despised by 
most of us who like dixieland.

Rap is a total black (Eminem to the contrary nothwithstanding) idiom which 
is brash, racist, and loaded with "in your face" attitude. They (Blacks) 
even refer to much of it as "Gangsta Rap." I don't think contemporary Blacks 
would consider Rap music successful if it didn't alienate old white farts 
like you and me.

So there you have it.

Cees says:

1 American beer is inferior (I couldn't agree more).

2. American's didn't invent jazz - It's Black African (I agree in part, but 
I don't think that's the whole story.)

3. Blacks don't attend American Jazz Festivals - (That's pretty obvious and 
I agree with Cees. But on the other hand, those of us in the DJML probably 
don't attend many Rap concerts.)

Respectfully submitted,

Bill "Just trying to help" Gunter
jazzboard at hotmail.com

ps. I really don't think I deserve Cees' criticism that I'm "impolite" (as 
Cees said: "At last I'm, triggered by Bill,leaving my politeness.") I have 
always endeavored to be courteous in my discourse including this one.

bg