[Dixielandjazz] "Living in a great big Way - Tommy Dorsey

[tcashwigg at aol.com]

Well guys:

I have to disagree with those who specifically say he was not a Jazz 
Musician, why?
because Jazz musicians come in all shapes and styles and sizes and 
degrees, at least to those of us who have lived through several 
generations and style changes and actually were broad minded enough to 
listen to the new kids.

He played Jazz HIS WAY and if he played the melody and it swung he 
played Jazz to the vast audience that adored him and his music, just 
like Kenny G. does today,  hate him if you choose, but he is successful 
and he is considered by far more people in the world to be a Jazz 
musician than the numbers on this list, even if some of us do believe 
that fifty million others are wrong and we are right. :))

Jazz is in the ears of the beholder and listener, and just because it 
is not what WE PERSONALLY WANT TO RELATE TO AS JAZZ DOES NOT MAKE IT 
NOT JAZZ.   After all our own determination of Jazz is often touted as 
playing free form however we choose to play it, so why the hell do we 
always have to try and disagree with each other about whaT THE HELL IS 
JAZZ AND WHAT IS NOT, IT IS OKOM  LIKE WHAT YOU WILL AND DISLIKE WHAT 
YOU WILL BUT SOME OF US MIGHT JUST HAPPEN TO LIKE WHAT YOU DON'T LIKE 
and versey vicey.  :))

Cheers,

Rev. Tom Bob   who likes all GOOD music   except Rap which is not good 
music,  so see even I am guilty  if .50 cent says his crap is Jazz.

-----Original Message-----
From: Stan Brager <sbrager at socal.rr.com>
To: Mike <mike at railroadstjazzwest.com>; dixielandjazz at ml.islandnet.com
Sent: Thu, 5 Jan 2006 14:40:19 -0800
Subject: Re: [Dixielandjazz] "Living in a great big Way - Tommy Dorsey

    When I compare the musical output from Tommy's contemporaries such 
as Benny
Goodman, Bud Freeman and Jimmy Dorsey, I have to conclude that, as much 
as I
enjoy hearing Tommy play, he was not a jazz musician. I place brother 
Jimmy
in the jazz musician category.

Certainly, Tommy improvised his solos to a degree and they are 
well-formed
and logical. But something is missing (maybe it's a feeling of 
spontaneity)
and lacking that component, I can't call Tommy a jazz musician. He was 
more
inventive and creative than Glenn Miller was and there are those who 
call
Glenn a jazz musician also.

Stan
Stan Brager

----- Original Message -----
From: "Mike" <mike at railroadstjazzwest.com>
To: <dixielandjazz at ml.islandnet.com>
Sent: Wednesday, January 04, 2006 7:32 PM
Subject: Re: [Dixielandjazz] "Living in a great big Way - Tommy Dorsey


>     I think that Dorsey really was a jazz trombonist like the others 
you
> mentioned. His style was different.
>   Just like Teagarden's style was different from Kid Ory's and Miff
> Mole's was
>   different from J.J Johnson's. There isn't a right or wrong jazz 
improv
> solo. You say what you have to say and if people like it good, if not
> then oh well. He was an excellent phraser as you previous said and 
often
> played like a vocalist would sing.
>
>
>
> > Perhaps a view that there are "jazz musicians" and there are 
"musicians
who
> > also play jazz". Dorsey falls into the latter category if one agrees
with
> > that line of reasoning. Simply stated, if Dorsey was not much of a 
jazz
> > improviser, some are reluctant to call him a "Jazz Musician".
> >
> > Maybe splitting hairs, but I agree with Levinson that Dorsey was 
not a
jazz
> > trombonist in the sense that e.g. Ory, Teagarden, Mole, J.J. 
Johnson,
Cutty
> > Cutshall, Kai Winding, Curtis Fuller and all of the others were/are.
>
>
>
>



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