[Dixielandjazz] Who taught Louis, Bolden, Ory and all of us

[Artwoo at aol.com]

Dear Chris and Listmates:
Thank you for the music history lesson, expressed very succintly and  
clearly. The key to learning jazz, or any improvisational music, has to be  
"listening" with a heartfelt fire to transfer that sound to your own  interpretation, 
whether it is one note (eg Joe Thomas or Chet Baker) or an  outpouring like 
John Coltrane or Charlie Parker.
 
Whenever a musician of your caliber, such as Butch Thompson, Dan Levinson,  
Don Mopsick, Mike Vax, Jack Wiard and others send us a message, I listen. You  
have all paid your dues, from the first day you put a finger on a keyboard  or 
valve to the present. It shows in your recorded output and in the rare  times 
when I hear you in person. By the way, Chris, you are a terrific drummer  as 
well as a master cornet player.
 
No matter what skill level we may possess, jazz is "played from the heart"  
and hopefully as Eddie Higgins said: "The ultimate goal for jazz musicians is 
to  be able to play whatever they think: to be able to express their ideas  
instantaneously without being hampered by technical limitations. The closer  to 
this goal a musician approaches, the more satisfied he will be with his  
playing, and the striving towards this goal is what motivates serious  players 
throughout their creative lives." 
 
So I applaud any musician who has the courage to perform and open his  heart 
to the public. It makes no difference whether you are a beginner or  skilled 
nirvana musician every note counts.
Thanks, Art Wood