[Dixielandjazz] Basin Street Blues

[David Dustin]

Glen Page wrote:
Regarding John's query re. a pc correct vocal, I think that anybody who has
to lower themselves to bastardize the original lyrics in this case should
think about getting themselves away from music that has a great heritage, or
at the very least omit tunes that appear to offend them from their
repertoire.
==========================
You mean people like Jack Teagarden?  I¹m sitting here with my ipod,
listening to Jack and His Sextet do BSB, probably in the 1950s (Haesler
would know). For that verse, he substitutes: ³Basin Street, is the street,
where all good friends always meet...²  It scans well and there is not a
thing wrong with that in my book.  And the analogy to Wagner is illogical.
Wagner never had lyrics which actually promoted Nazism; he was not
responsible for the fact that a psychopath named Hitler would come along 70
years later and find some sort of mystical connection with his stirring
music.  In the case of Basin Street Blues, I would strongly agree with the
original poster that avoidance of that explicit reference to skin tone today
‹ outside the strict realm of musicology -- is offensive and not worth
repeating in public performance since the bygone year (1923?) it was
published.  Nor would I ever perform the original verse of Mississippi Mud,
and I¹ll bet I am not alone.

David Dustin