[Dixielandjazz] For the Bones out there.

Thu Mar 8 15:24:03 PST 2007

You are absolutely right about Pat.  He's been a friend for a long time and 
it's always a pleasure to play on the same stage.
Larry
St. Louis
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Steven Holzer" <slholzer at iquest.net>
To: "Dan Augustine" <ds.augustine at mail.utexas.edu>
Cc: "DJML" <dixielandjazz at ml.islandnet.com>
Sent: Thursday, March 08, 2007 2:44 PM
Subject: Re: [Dixielandjazz] For the Bones out there.


> Another greatly underappreciated trombonist is Pat Arana, the
> oft-overlooked third member of the Old St. Louis Levee Band's front
> line. For years, Pat filled the void created by the band's lack of a
> trumpet. He played high parts that would have Watrous visibly sweating
> and never broke a sweat or appeared even vaguely troubled. His tone was
> always full and beautiful. Musically, he was the glue that held the band
> together, even though Jeannie and Red Lehr got most of the attention.
>
> I would certainly take exception to the comments about trombonists of
> high quality being less common. In the indianapolis area we have always
> had a sufeit of good trombone players, to the point where we would
> gladly have exported a few in exchange for one or two really good 
> clarinets.
>
> Steve Holzer
>
> Dan Augustine wrote:
>
>>     For my money, Bob Havens and Wycliffe Gordon are two of the top
>>trombonists playing jazz and OKOM, and as Bob Ringwald said, Jack
>>Sheldon had a great guy on trombone a while back.
>>     But hell, there are a lot of great players around the country
>>that nobody has heard about.  There's an absolute monster of a player
>>from San Antonio named Ron Wilkins whose playing will set your hair
>>on fire.  I mean, he's doing Watrous-like licks all over the place,
>>but not just techinical stuff -- hard jazz-figures and great ideas.
>>     Kenny Rupp with the Jim Cullum band has perhaps been cutting back
>>on the number of solos he's taking.  But i've heard him in person
>>many times at the Landing, and he has some of the greatest, sweetest
>>technique and tone.  Jim and his band will be featured here in Austin
>>on March 18th at the Austin Traditional Jazz Society concert at the
>>Capital City Comedy Club, and i guaran-damn-tee you it will be a
>>barn-burner (see the ATJS website http://www.atjs.org for more info).
>>
>>     Dan
>>------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>>
>>
>>>From: LRG4003 at aol.com
>>>Date: Tue, 6 Mar 2007 22:40:02 EST
>>>To: dixielandjazz at ml.islandnet.com
>>>Subject: [Dixielandjazz] For the Bones out there.
>>>
>>>This should rile up some discussion.  I  forwarded a Teagarden YouTube
>>>posting to a trombone player with whom I have the  opportunity to
>>>play on occasion.
>>>He isn't on DJML but he responded with  these comments.  I wondered what 
>>>your
>>>response would be.  K.C.  Clarinet
>>>
>>>Thanks.  I had not seen this one  before.  Obviously, it has been kicking
>>>around cyberspace for a  while.  I have, in the CD reissues, the two 
>>>Verve
>>>recordings that JT made  in the early 60's.  They are wonderful, and
>>>they show tht
>>>JT was still in  top form right up to the end, despite the chemical abuse 
>>>to
>>>his body.I   also hope that Verve re-issues the third and very last of 
>>>JT's
>>>LP's. I  think the writer is right on about the fallen state of the
>>>trombone.  The
>>> level of trombone playing in the jazz world is for the most part at a 70
>>>year  low.  There are a few really great trombonists around, but
>>>they are people
>>>that few have heard of, such as Herb Bruce.  None of the current 
>>>trombonists
>>>mentioned in the article as examples of contemporary trombonists are
>>>anywhere near the level of a Frank Rosolino or a Carl Fontana, and
>>>needless  to say,
>>>none of them have anything approaching the emotional maturity and
>>>musicianship of JT.  At least none that I have heard.   This
>>>situation is all the more
>>>ironic in that classical  trombone playing is at an all time high.  There 
>>>is a
>>>wealth of truly  great symphonic trombonists who are making CD after CD 
>>>of
>>>phenomenal  recordings.  Technical excellence in trombone playing
>>>has advanced to
>>>the  point where the jazz world can no longer use the old "trombone is a
>>>clumsy,  awkward instrument that cannot be played in a way to keep
>>>up with keyed or
>>> valved instruments" argument.   Actually, that tired old argument has 
>>> not
>>>been valid for more than 30 years, but I still hear it.  When you  listen 
>>>to
>>>any of today's big bands cut loose on a chart with  solos, you
>>>always get a sax
>>>(usually tenor) solo, and frequently a  trumpet solo, but only VERY 
>>>rarely do
>>>you get a trombone solo (and usually  then you wish you hadn't).  Even 
>>>when
>>>you listen to CD's of today's  jazz groups, you almost never hear 
>>>trombone
>>>solos.  The reason is very  simple:  very, very few of the competent 
>>>section
>>>trombone men can solo  worth crap.  Part of the reason is that their 
>>>level of
>>>technical proficiency is not high enough to be able to translate any
>>>ideas  from
>>>their head to the end of their bell.  And that is a  disgrace, given what 
>>>has
>>>been going on in the classical arena.   Even when listening to the
>>>Cullum band,
>>>you will notice that the trombone takes  much, much fewer solos than the 
>>>other
>>>front line horns.  As far as I  can determine, it has always been that 
>>>way.
>>>
>>>
>>
>>
>>
>
>
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