[Dixielandjazz] Misunderstanding old tunes

[tcashwigg at aol.com]

If you take the time to learn the history and message of the lyrics and 
explain them briefly to your audience and educate them to the song and 
 from whence it came and point out that SOME OF US HAVE "COME A LONG WAY 
BABY" and actually learned how to present Historical music in and as a 
real true art form and not as a slanderous or disrespectful song to 
anyone then the song can indeed be sold.

If we addressed every OKOM song in a politically correct approach we 
would have to throw out much of it with the bath water, I think there 
is a better approach.   Hey I did the impossible a couple days ago, 
speaking of politically incorrect, I got a group of BLACK AMERICAN 
MUSICIANS to play "DIXIE"  :))   And only one of them had an issue with 
the song, and He will soon get over it.   He did not want to play the 
tune but did anyway.    Hey it is a real winner of a tune, especially 
if you have a Red Neck audience in front of you.   Most of them would 
not even understand why Black folks would have a reservation to playing 
that song anyway.   It seems perfectly Normal to them and usually has a 
totally different meaning even if they don't fully understand it 
themselves, "hey Bubba throw me anuther one uv them cold beers boy, and 
wud u puleeze point that gun the other direction fore I have to shoot 
yore butt !!

Cheers,

Tom Wiggins
who does know the difference.





-----Original Message-----
From: tbelmo at hotmail.com
To: dixielandjazz at ml.islandnet.com
Sent: Mon, 24 Jul 2006 8:19 AM
Subject: RE: [Dixielandjazz] Misunderstanding old tunes

   Steve wrote... 
 
 "Sometimes we don't fully understand the older tunes." 
 
  Thanks for the history on a couple of old standards. I'm curious about 
others, if you have them. However, I wonder if any of us jazz musicians 
today would perform these songs singing the original lyrics. I've had 
this discussion with several people at various jazz clubs and events, 
both musicians and non-musicians. There are mixed opinions but the 
popular one is that the words should not be sung anymore since they are 
disrespectful. There is a lot of good music out there with lyrics that 
would be considered questionable in today's politically correct 
society. "Mississippi Mud" is another one that comes to mind. What do 
you list-mates think about singing original lyrics? 
 
 Tom B. 
 
  
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