[Dixielandjazz] What is "Trad Jazz"?

[Jim Kashishian]

Very interesting, Graham!  From my very first exposure to British Jazz Bands
(Monty Sunshine playing "Petite Fleur" with Chris Barber's Band), I
understood that this particular "sound" was "trad".  That would have been in
1959.  From that date on,"trad" (at least to me) described what the British
bands were playing, particularly in the late 1950's, and 1960's.

During that period, I never heard anyone in my crowd (in Southern
California) refer to what we were playing at that time as trad, or even
traditional.  I don't recall "revival" as the sound we were playing, either.
It was more refered to as "Frisco style or San Francisco style" Dixieland
(Dixieland didn't seem to be a naughty word yet!).

Nowadays, I just prefer Jazz to describe what my band plays. If pressed for
further clarification....traditional or New Orleans seems to do.  That works
in Spanish, and for the Spanish.  And, if still facing a blank face, I'll
say "what Louis Armstrong played".  Will usually get a request for What a
Wonderful World then, if the conversation has gone to those lengths.  Oh,
well....

Jim