[Dixielandjazz] Mickey Mouse and Cartoon Music

[Robert S. Ringwald]

 In the States, to call music Mickey Mouse, is a put down.  It means very
simple, corny music as played by some of the dance bands of the 30s and 40s.

In my opinion, calling great Jazz "Cartoon music" is an equal put down.

One problem we may be having here on DJML is calling music that was used as
background music for cartoons, or music that sounds as if it could have been
used for cartoons, "Cartoon music."  To me this is offensive to Jazz
musicians and fans.

It may be music that was used in Cartoons, but it is not "Cartoon music."

IMHO, this is just a question of semantics and not worth arguing about.

However, Steve Barbone wrote:

(snip)
Guys like Eddie Condon would have said no and reminded us that jazz in the
1920s/30s was popularly associated with Whiteman, Gershwin and Irving
Berlin. and that the Bratislava Band was playing popular music.
(snip)

To intimate that Eddie Condon would have said that the Bratislava Band was
playing popular music is ridiculous.

Let me qualify my statement by saying that I only heard one fabulous cut
from the band.  That one was certainly not pop music of any era.

Steve also wrote:

(snip)
Perhaps that kind of music in the "jazz age", as compared to the real jazz
of the originators, (Oliver, Bolden, Armstrong, Bechet et al) is more like
what Kenny G and his clones play today, compared to the real jazz of this
and/or any other era?
(snip)

Unless I am badly mistaking Steve's meaning here, to say that the music
played by the Bratislava Band to Jazz is like comparing Kenny G's music to
real Jazz, is incomprehensible.

I must be misunderstanding Steve's meaning.  If so, so are a lot of other
List members, judging by the response both on and off list.


--Bob Ringwald K6YBV
916/806-9551
--
Leader, The Fulton Street Jazz Band
www.fultonstreetjazz.com
--
The Boondockers (jazz and Comedy)
www.theboondockers.com

 In the 60's, people took LSD to make the world weird. Now the world is
weird
and people take Prozac to make it normal.