[Dixielandjazz] Bratislava Hot Serenaders

[Peter Sr. De Bruyn]

Hear, hear,

Great and intelligent comment from Tamas !

Peter De Bruyn Sr
Belgium


2007/3/12, Tamas Ittzes <bohem at fibermail.hu>:
>
> Dear listmates,
>
> Thanks God I missed the original postings about the Bratislava Hot
> Serenaders - it seems to be quite a flaming even now. Please, Steve and
> everyone, accept my 10 cents here:
>
> I have invited the Bratislava Hot Serenaders to my festival twice and we
> most probably will have them again next year. First of all, let me tell
> you that I strongly think that they are playing jazz. But I also think
> that the original recordings that they are mostly copying (Goldkette,
> Whiteman etc.) are jazz. Well, Bix, Venuti, Rollini, Charmichael and
> others played in those bands. Who knows the difference between the best
> dance bands and jazz bands of the era? In many cases they were the same.
> (I'm not talking about "society dance" bands.) Well, Armstrong was Mr.
> Jazz himself, everybody seems to agree in this - and he played lots of
> pre-arranged, not-improvised charts, sweet shit with lots of strings
> etc. and still we think that it was jazz - maybe only because of him.
> Was the New Orleans Rhythm Kings jazz? Blacks, creoles. And they played
> the very same (and not very jazzy) solos on three or even more tracks of
> Tin Roof Blues, for example.
>
> I had the privilege to be invited to play two tunes with the Bratislava
> Hot Serenaders (and not Bratislave, Steve, they are not slaves). Juraj
> Bartos, leader of the band was VERY strict about phrasing and wanted
> everything to sound the same as on the original recordings. So when I
> wanted to play something a little more jazzy on the fiddle, he said "NO"
> - and I knew what he meant. And yes, it was better then. Occasionally,
> they leave space for individual, improvised solos but they are always
> within the idiom. And not many can do this. Being strict about these
> kinds of things is the secret of their greatness. They sound exactly as
> the original recordings - but I have never felt that they were just
> preserving the era; they always re-created it for us who never had the
> chance to experience it ourselves. By the way, most band members can
> play improvised music and Juraj, who is not only leader but a great
> trumpet player, is a very good be-bop and free jazz musician as well.
> And he also plays classical music in orchestras, too, especially
> contemporary music. And he is a GREAT musician, because he knows the
> borders of the idiom he has to stay within musically. And that is very
> important. If you break the rules, you play shit. (Yes, I know that
> pioneers always broke the rules and never cared for the rules - but you
> always need boundaries as also pioneers erected then their new
> boundaries in a newly created style, think of Bird and many others.)
>
> Steve, you wrote about jazz:
> -------
> What is it? Like Louis Armstrong said; "Jazz is what you are." How's
> that for Catholic?
> -------
> Well, if Juraj Bartos and his musicians feel that the music, they play
> and recreate, means them, then it is jazz. By the way, if I can
> assimilate myself into Bach's music sometimes, or identify myself with
> it - just as I really can - is it jazz? I think that definitions can't
> help, whoever said them. As soon as you put it down on paper, it can be
> a good basis for misunderstanding.
>
> And, finally, sorry to write this, Steve but I think, I have to tell you
> now that as a DJML member, who is mostly just lurking, I am not very
> happy to read your arrogant comments from time to time. I enjoy most of
> your postings but when you get personal you intend to act as someone who
> always knows better. I am VERY critical myself, too but I wish you would
> accept others more. You know that we are many different people here on
> this list from many different countries with many different views, so
> please, don't be a judge. Jerry and John are among the most
> knowledgeable members of the list - you can have different views and
> express them as gentlemen. Please.
>
> Thanks for listening,
>
> Tamas from Hungary
> _________________________________________________
> Tamas ITTZES
> violin teacher, ragtime pianist, festival organizer
> Bohem Ragtime Jazz Band
> Kecskemet Jazz Foundation
> Mailing address: H-6001 KECSKEMET, Pf. 652., Hungary
> Phone: +36(20)82-447-82
> E-mails: tamas at bohemragtime.com, bohem at fibermail.hu
> Web site: http://www.bohemragtime.com
> _________________________________________________
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