[Dixielandjazz] Porte ñ a Jazz Band/"cartoon music"

[Charles Suhor]

Hi, Bill, Steve, and all--

Steve's "cartoon" adjective is literal, and probably connected to the 
still-going label (in the U.S.) of "Mickey [Mouse] band." The music 
behind the cartoons of the 30s and even beyond shares many of the exact 
pre-jazz, corny qualities of the dance bands of the 20s and 30s (kept 
alive today by the Porte ñ a Jazz Band, New Leviathan Orch., and a few 
others). Some of these characteristics, also heard in vaudeville 
backups and in intros to musical shorts by various slapstick comedians, 
were carried on by the mickey bands, a genre that matured with Guy 
Lombardo, Shep Fields, etc.

To be fair, you hear a lot of these elements in players and 
arrangements in early jazz and swing bands. The first Ellington records 
had a good deal of corny phrasing and mickey-like lines, along with 
characteristics we call jazz today. There wasn't yet a differentiation 
of the qualities of jazz, cartoon/corny, ragtrime/sweet, military, 
etc., in a lot of the music. The genres of jazz and jazz-based swing 
hadn't "shaken out" in early groups like Whiteman, Ted Lewis, and the 
cartoon bands that had some jazz elements but lots of ricky-tick 
articulation, rapid vibratos, etc.

I've long believed that "corn" should be a legitimate term in 
musicology and jazz criticism and purged of its judgmental 
connotations. And "cartoon music" is a subset of that, all the more 
valuable because it points to sites where the music can actually be 
heard.

Charlie Suhor


On Jan 16, 2007, at 9:45 AM, Steve Barbone wrote:

> Dear Bill
>
> Are you kidding?
>
> Just what the hell is wrong with cartoon music? I did not say cartoon 
> music
> was bad. It is simply, in large measure, what those bands you describe 
> play,
> and it attracted several generations of old codgers like us.
>
> Note also the last sentences of your post. I specifically said "in the 
> USA'
> because I was aware that European/Asian/Oz audience might actually like
> cartoon music. And no doubt they might be huge Paul Whiteman fans, as 
> say
> opposed to Duke Ellington. So how can those audiences disagree with 
> what I
> said? "In the USA". (which you even emphasized)
>
> What's past is prologue. That's what the music is about. And what's 
> past is
> cartoon music.
>
> Cheers,
> Steve Barbone