[Dixielandjazz] Fw: Al Hirt: Not jazz?

[James Butler]

I know that John Ulrich who is a fine piano player traveled with Clyde 
McCoy's road band and he told me many times how good he could play.

Don Ingle wrote:
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Don Ingle" <dingle at nomadinter.net>
> To: "Robert S. Ringwald" <robert at ringwald.com>; "DJML" 
> <dixielandjazz at ml.islandnet.com>
> Sent: Tuesday, January 23, 2007 3:09 PM
> Subject: Re: [Dixielandjazz] Al Hirt: Not jazz?
>
>
>   
>> 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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>>>
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>>>       
>
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