[Dixielandjazz] 10 Representative Dixieland Recordings

[John Petters]

Louis Lince said
 >> All current day musicians have every right to play in their way but 
they all
 >> (I believe) owe their dues to the earlier musos.
 >>

to which Steve replied

I rarely listen to the dead guys
 > unless they are on the radio when I'm driving my car. My CDs are all of
 > current bands/players like Davern, Peplowski, Metz's Bobcats, et  al, 
except
 > for a few like the recently discovered Monk with Coltrane at Carnegie 
in the
 > 1960s, or some obscure Tony Scott record that I missed in the 50s or 60s.

I am with Louis on this one. Throw away the roots of the music at your 
peril. It is like the hundreds of Euro trad bands that based their style 
on Chris Barber and other Brit bands. They sound nothing like the 
originals. The whole concept of time and swing was distorted. Our 
British revivalists went back to the source and reacted to it and the 
music was different. That argument applies to the American revivalists. 
Far better to listen to Oliver than Watters.

That is not to take away anything from guys who are playing today - but 
the music is different. In particular the rhythm sections have changed.
What is the matter with being dead? If a musician was great while he was 
alive, surely he is still great through his legacy of recordings.
For my money a quick 10 traditional jazz tracks would be:

Tiger Rag ODJB 1936 recording.
That's A Plenty - Wild Bill's Commodores
China Boy - Eddie Condon's 1944 Town Hall Concert with Krupa, Pee wee etc
Once In A While - Louis Hot Five
Snake Rag - King Oliver's Creole Jazz Band
Black Bottom Stomp - Jelly
Weary Blues - Bechet with Hodes on Blue Note
Bugle Call Rag - The Rhythmakers
Wild Man Blues - Louis Armstrong's Hot Seven
Maple Leaf Rag - Sidney Bechet's New Orleans Feetwarmers 1932
and that neglects the New Orleans Wanderers, The Ory band, Mutt Carey's 
New Yorkers, the Rudi Blesch This is Jazz line up  with Wild Bill and 
Baby Dodds and much more. They are all dead sadly.

Keep swinging
John Petters
www.traditional-jazz.com