[Dixielandjazz] Half a million people can't be wrong!

[Steve Barbone]

on 9/23/06 4:04 PM, Gluetje1 at aol.com at Gluetje1 at aol.com wrote:

Lifted Snip:
In a message dated 9/23/2006 12:33:36 P.M. Central Daylight Time,
barbonestreet at earthlink.net writes:
The Arts Council in Britain for example is
> convinced that jazz began in the 1940s with Dizzy Gillespie and Charlie
> Parker and not in New Orleans with Buddy Bolden at the turn of the 19th
> century."
> 
Attended a Jazz Improv Workshop At Webster Univ. this a.m.  Expected the
attendance to be mostly high schoolers and the workshop about bop.  It was.
They had a handout entitled, "Historically Significant Recordings".  All of
them are from the bebeop era forward--oh wait, I see one Count Basie, "The
Complete Atomic Basie", and one Ellington (with Mingus, Roach).  They do
include a caveat that the earlier recordings are of poor sound quality, or
are not available on CD or "the artists recorded lots of material and are
represented by later recordings elsewhere on this list."
Ginny


Yeah, 15 years ago when I started to play again, I would sit in on open mike
nights with the kids. When I told them I was a trad jazz player, they
thought I meant like Bird & Diz. That was trad jazz to them.

Speaking about Mingus with Ellington; At the Red Sea Jazz Festival Jam
session, sitting in with Kuumba Frank Lacy, who was trombonist with Mingus
Dynasty there, and is with the Mingus Big Band in NYC , he said: "Man you
are an old school player with a straight ahead attitude. It's like listening
to Bob Wilber on crack." Cracked me up. He is one hell of a player who
gigged with Wilber at Rutgers and he played a mean Sweet Georgia Brown with
Paul Grant, John Wilder and me at the jam session.

But then, don't forget, Mingus gigged with Louis Armstrong for a while
before he went off on his own. Back around 1943/44. He knew about Dixieland
from the early days but being a very serious guy about his music did not get
along with Armstrong's stage presence, grinning, jokes, etc.,  so he left.

On the other hand, Frank Lacy is both a kick ass musician, and a very funny
stage personality. A great showman as well as a great musician who also
knows Dixieland.


Cheers,
Steve barbone