[Dixielandjazz] Al Hirt: Not jazz?

[Don Ingle]

One needs to be careful when assigning any praise or fault to musicians. An 
example is Clyde McCoy. He made a good  living playing what some would call 
"corny", muted schtick numbers. But I also heard his road band play some 
straight ahead trad jazz without any wa wa mutes, ad they swumg like mad.
Pee Wee Hunt made a hit with his cornball recoding arrangement on 12th 
Street Rag, but he was a very fine jazz trombonist, a long time mainstay of 
the Casa Loma band and had worked with a number of the Goldkette bands in 
Detroit, sometimes in company wiht Bix, many times with my dad, yet he is 
remembered for hsi Doo-wakka-doo-wacka 12th. Street Rag. (Anngement I might 
add by Rosey McHargue who also played clainet on the recording. )
My dad (Red Ingle) was noted for his comedy covers of pop songs in a 
hillbilly, take, yet he held his own along side Bix, Tram and others when he 
worked with Goldkette, and later with Ted Weems and Spike Jones. He played 
fine tenor, clar and bass clarinet, and baritone sax, and a load of jazz 
fiddle.  But hw is seldom ever thought of as a jazz man. Al Hirt made very 
successful recordings of pop styled numbers -- they paid the bills and kept 
some good players maing a living in the business. If you want to judge him 
only by his pop sides,  he might not seem to be a "jazz" player -- but I had 
the pleasure of hearing him play in N.O. up close and on standard material 
he was a very fine player and comfortable with the style we call trad.
I think that lables are given too hastily without the full knowledge that 
would back them. If you like the way a man plays, good, if you do not then 
don't listen. But be careful with making those absolutes and labels becasue 
those who know all the facts will catch you up every time.
My opinion, mine only, and that's all it is.
Don Ingle
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Robert S. Ringwald" <robert at ringwald.com>
To: "DJML" <dixielandjazz at ml.islandnet.com>
Sent: Tuesday, January 23, 2007 2:33 PM
Subject: Re: [Dixielandjazz] Al Hirt: Not jazz?


> What a bunch of BS.  Al Hirt was a great Jazz musician.  So he had
> phenomenal technique and had some pop hits in the  60s.  That did not make
> him "Not a Jazz musicians."
>
> Sometimes I wonder...
>
> --Bob Ringwald
>
>
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Fr M J (Mike) Logsdon" <mjl at ix.netcom.com>
> To: <dixielandjazz at ml.islandnet.com>
> Sent: Tuesday, January 23, 2007 11:08 AM
> Subject: [Dixielandjazz] Al Hirt: Not jazz?
>
>
>> This, from a blurb from a new Hirt CD
>> (http://www.worldsrecords.com/cgi-bin/storeR.cgi?cart_id=01-23-07.wrnr1.13019&specific=itemcode&phrase=60077):
>>
>> "This CD assembles selections from Al Hirt's four-decade career and
>> celebrates the joy in music. Al Hirt was an insturmental pop phenomenon
>> during the 60's - a pop, commercial musician, and had a succesful format.
>> He is not a jazz trumpet and never was a jazz trumpet."
>>
>> Maybe not ONLY jazz, but not jazz at all?  Would Mr Hirt agree with 
>> this?,
>>
>> --
>> Etc,
>>
>> Fr M J (Mike) Logsdon, Vicar-general
>> North American Old Roman Catholic Church (Utrecht Succession)
>> Archdiocese of California
>> www.naorc.org
>>
>> _______________________________________________
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>>
>>
>
>
>
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