[Dixielandjazz] Cartoon Music

[Steve Barbone]

Gee Whiz guys, you unfairly paint Wiggins and me as dissing cartoon music,
claiming that you know we do, our protestations to the contrary.

What you all forget is that the main reason those in our old folks age
bracket in the USA are so wired into Dixieland Jazz is because it was
imprinted on our brains as cartoon music. We owe much of our musical tastes
to it. Many of us did not consider it "Art Music" then and we don't now.

Most of us went to the Sat Matinees as kids and saw 5 or 6 cartoons in which
this music was played. We associated it with some wonderful visuals and so
were involved in "jazz" from about age 6 on. Is it possible that the lack of
OKOM cartoon music in the present generations has something to do with their
ignorance and/or appreciation of OKOM?

We then transferred that musical love to the kind of jazz Condon, or Lu or
Turk or Louis played.

Forgive us if our tastes have changed a bit from cartoon music to
improvisational jazz.  In the historical context, cartoon music is fine. To
try and make it something it is not, e.g. "hot jazz" is reaching a bit in
the ears of guys like Tom and me, but is still OK if you like it.

Want to turn kids on to Dixieland today? Give em some "hot jazz" as played
by Randy Reinhart et al and back cartoons with it.

Cheers,
Steve Barbone