[Dixielandjazz] Does anybody love Bop?

[Steve Barbone]

Dan Spink at dwsi at aol.com asked:

> I have a naive question. Many listmates obviously are not big fans of bop, but
> some are. For those who are: Q. Does anybody really LOVE bop? All I hear is
> how much I should admire the talent it takes to play it--and how fast the
> notes come. Is that what boppers dig? What happened to loving the music
> itself? Maybe I'm just old fashioned.

Hi Dan:

I admit that I love bop and appreciate it just as much as I do OKOM. And I
admit that I love the music itself inherent in bop.

Like OKOM, some of its songs are superb and some its songs suck. But the
music is certainly there if your ears are ready for it.

Want to listen to some superb Bop? Try Bird's "Embracaeble You". Or dig some
mellow Clifford Brown, like "Willow Weep For Me", or the more rapid "Sweet
Clifford". Or hear fellow pianist Bud Powell's version of "Round Midnight".

There is a ton of extraordinary Bop out there. And IMO most boppers dig the
music, not what it takes to play it. They hear the melody that guys like
Bird, Diz, Bud or Trane (prior to 1957 when he left for avant garde), play.

Cheers,
Steve Barbone