[Fwd: [Dixielandjazz] Preservation ? Creativity? Rule # 1]

[dwlit at cpcug.org]

The originals had their own aesthetic validity and still do, both for
musicians and fans. Whether a particular body of music or art floats one's
particular boat doesn't reduce that validity: it's all a matter of what
one *enjoys*. Just because you don't like or care about it, don't knock
the pleasure others get from it.

--Sheik
http://americanmusiccaravan.com
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~`
Steve Barbone wrote:
Permit me to offer another take on that.

I agree that if you are a re-creating band, then by all means sound as
close as you can to the folks you are aping. Call it whatever you want,
but IMO it is not preserving anything. The originals are already preserved
by those jazz musicians who created them. IMO (and I'll take the heat for
it and duck) too much re-creating is simply musical masturbation.
....
Point being that ALL of the OKOM players we adore, Louis, Bix, Mole,
Teagarden, Dodds, Russell, et al., broke the rules when they originally
created the music. Like where would we be if Louis never soloed because it
was against the rules? Or if Bix never played modern harmonies?

Why should today's wannabe's be any different? Why should any of us want
to devote our musical life to sounding like someone else. Is it any
different than writing a book that has already been written, or slavishly
copying a painting when the original is easily seen? (other than for
money, that is)