[Dixielandjazz] Re: some good Dixieland recordings

[Dan Augustine]

DJML (c: Hank and others)--
     Ever see pictures taken by the Hubble telescope of distant clouds 
of interstellar gas and inchoate stars and their systems being born? 
Well, here you are, witnessing the same thing, in jazz, on earth. 
(Well, perhaps on a somewhat less galactic scale.)
     Starting to learn a new kind of music takes many things, 
including interest, talent, time, money, players, expertise, music, 
etc.  Roger Sessions said that what modern music needs most of all 
from its audience is a "willing ear" (i'm probably paraphrasing this, 
as i'm too lazy to go look it up).  Beginning jazz bands need their 
own ears to be willing -- both to hear new kinds of music, and to 
tolerate their own mistakes -- but the rewards are not only theirs 
but the audiences'.
     Also, enterprises like this don't (perhaps _can't_) exist and 
operate in a vacuum.  The band needs charts, practice time, and 
concepts of what it wants to sound like, but they also need to play 
LIVE before an audience, most preferably WITHOUT MUSIC.  It ain't 
jazz if you have to read it.
     The band also needs to hang out with other jazz musicians. 
There's nothing like personal contact, and there's nothing like 
learning live from someone who plays the way you want to play. 
Apprenticeship, it works.
     Accordingly, we here in Austin need to encourage the Dixieland 
Accidentals Jazz Band in any way we can -- copies of charts, copies 
of recordings, let them sit in with other bands at rehearsals, attend 
DAJB rehearsals, whatever.
     But the players in DAJB also have to make an effort, so at least 
one of them needs to join the DJML and drink from the wisdom and 
experience (and unfortunately more-than-occasional splenetic 
logorrhea) of its members.  But it is also probably the best place to 
realize that music is a business as well, and there's a wealth of 
information about that also here.
     So.  You in DAJB need to keep me and DJML apprised of your 
progress.  If you want, i and maybe others who play dixieland in 
Austin can come to your rehearsals and comment, sit in, whatever. 
Perhaps -- O Ecstacies of Ecstacies! -- we might even be able to get 
you a gig at (dare we name it?) The Carousel Lounge (tips only)!

     Dan
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>Subject: Re: some good Dixieland recordings
>To: Dan Augustine <ds.augustine at mail.utexas.edu>
>From: hfrankenberg at mmm.com
>Date: Thu, 6 Jul 2006 06:40:06 -0500
>
>Wow!  What a great lot of insight and recommendations!  Please pass along
>my thanks for the guys' thoughtful comments.  It's great to have access to
>experts/aficionados like this.  I will pass all your info to my buds in the
>Dixieland Accidentals.  Speaking of which, we are all in the Austin
>Symphonic Band, one of the best community symphonic bands in the country
>http://www.asband.org.  A few of us were talking Dixieland one day and I
>mentioned that I have a set of Dixieland music books (trumpet, clarinet,
>trombone, tuba).  I'll let you know the publisher, etc, but someone said
>they're out of print.  I suggested it would be cool to get some guys
>together and try playing some.  We did.  Reminded me of listening to Pete
>Fountain vinyl as a little kid, which got me interested in clarinet and I
>still play the tortuous thing today.
>
>The Dixieland Accidentals' Instrumentation:
>Trumpet (can play anything - he's the ASB first chair and a band director)
>Tuba (no problem - he's the ASB first chair)
>Drums (no problem - good drummer, band director)
>Trombone (Jim plays good solos - he's revealed a hidden talent - he's done
>a couple of arrangements for us and they're good)
>Sax
>Clarinet (I add humor to the group)
>Weakest are the reeds.
>No piano, no banjo (although my son, who plays guitar, said if a banjo were
>available, he'd be interested in giving it a shot.
>
>My thoughts after reading all the comments:
>For someone newly exposed to Dixieland, and wanting to make it a serious
>hobby and soak in the history and learn about all the playing styles,
>either for the knowledge, or to learn how to play all the styles, Dan's
>approach is it:  buy as many recordings from as many of the greats, from
>every period early 1900's to today.
>
>For someone like us D.A.'s (that's Dixieland Accidentals, Dan), who have
>very, very limited rehearsal time and limited practice time (ASB plays the
>most difficult symphonic band stuff out there, so that takes the bulk of
>practice/rehearsal time on the calendar), I think the advice of those who
>said basically don't worry about the early recordings and styles that
>aren't played today, but buy late/contemporary recordings, is best.
>Certainly I'll get a few of the greats, a Satchmo or two, Jack T., Bob
>Crosby, but mostly newer stuff.  Another thing - I build hi-fi speakers, so
>I'm sensitive to sound quality and I want well-recorded, as well as
>well-played music.
>
>After digesting that, anyone want to take a shot at getting my "first" list
>of 10 closer to a reality?
>
>Thanks again!
>D.A. Hank
>
>Regards,
>Hank Frankenberg
>Business Sourcing Manager - VSD
>Global Electronics Projects
>3M Austin Center
>Bldg A130-5N-09
>512/984-3864


-- 
**--------------------------------------------------------------------**
** Dan Augustine  --  Austin, Texas  --  ds.augustine at mail.utexas.edu
**     "I often ask myself how Beethoven would have written a
**      particular passage if he had wanted it to sound the way
**      I'm playing it."  --  Robert Shaw when at Cleveland Orchestra
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