[Dixielandjazz] How Do You Respond -- Condon called it Music.

[Robert S. Ringwald]

 > Russ Guarino asked what we call it when people ask; What kind of music do
> you play.
>
> I answer "Jazz, America's Music". Then, if further questions arise, go
> from
> there to "Dixieland, New Orleans Jazz and Swing", because that is what we
> play more narrowly defined.
(snip)


Russ, the Eddie Condon book is a very interesting read and the info quoted 
below by Steve Barbone is all well & good.  But, when talking to a client, 
you have to use words that the client understands.

Today's average music buyer knows nothing of Paul Whiteman and Irving 
Berlin.  That is why, when I find they want a Dixieland type band, I always 
slip Louis Armstrong's name in there somewhere.

--Bob Ringwald



> Eddie Condon called it "MUSIC". Perhaps because, if the assertion in the
> below clip about the book is true, in the 20s/30s; "'Jazz' was popularly
> associated with Paul Whiteman and Irving Berlin. It is a GREAT book for
> realizing what Condon thought about Jazz as opposed to what the audience
> thought about jazz. May also shatter some of our illusions about Jazz as
> America's popular music back then.
>
> It is available in paperback. And for those who have not read it, a MUST
> READ if you seek to understand the historical context of "Jazz" during
> that
> time in the USA.
>
> Especially relevant is why Condon considered "true" Jazz an outlaw music
> and
> why he considered himself and the gang, outlaws. Which also relates to
> some
> of the divisions today in OKOM players and audiences about the music.
>
> Cheers,
> Steve Barbone
>
> --------
> WE CALLED IT MUSIC, A Generation Of Jazz
> Eddie Condon & Thomas Sugre
> Da Capo Press, 1992 (first published in 1947 & 1962)
> --------
>
> Eddie Condon (1905-1973) pioneered a kind of jazz popularly known as
> Chicago-Dixieland, though musicians refer to it simply as Condon-style.
> Played by small ensembles with a driving beat, it was and is an informal,
> exciting music, slightly disjointed and often mischievous. The same could
> be
> said of Condon's autobiography, We Called it Music, a book widely
> celebrated
> for capturing the camaraderie of early jazz. . .
>
> These were the days when jazz was popularly associated with Paul Whiteman
> and Irving Berlin. Condon considered true jazz an outlaw music and himself
> an outlaw. He and his cohorts tried to get as close as possible to the
> black
> roots of jazz, a scandalous thing in the '20s. Along the way, he
> facilitated
> one of the first integrated recording sessions.
>
> We Called It Music, now published with a new introduction by Gary Giddins
> that places the book in its historical context, remains essential reading
> for anyone interested in the wild and restless beginnings of jazz, or in
> the
> wit and vinegar of Eddie Condon.
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> Dixielandjazz mailing list
> Dixielandjazz at ml.islandnet.com
> http://ml.islandnet.com/mailman/listinfo/dixielandjazz
>
>