[Dixielandjazz] The 'not so authentic' 20s music

[Steven V. Apple]

 I'm going to agree with Bob on this one.  Unless someone is specifically
working on a project demanding tunes actually written during a particular
period, nothing wrong with playing tunes written in the 30's or 40's in a
"20's style".  There's a place for educating people, and there's a place for
just playing good sounding music.  Lots of contemporary musicians are
writing, arranging, and performing their own tunes, in a 20's or 30's
style.  We (Royal Society Jazz Orchestra) just put out our latest CD, all
tunes written and arranged by Don Neely.  We play them in 20's, 30, (maybe a
little 40's) style, and get no complaints about them not being "authentic."
It's just as important to preserve the "style" as it is to preserve the
actual tunes of an era.

Certainly there are times when totally authentic music, costumes,
instruments, etc are called for (and even in these cased many of the items
will be "re-productions"), but in this case the request was "

*I would like ideas of songs/tunes to play at a local restaurant
*>>* called 'Al
*>>* Capone's' for a gangsters & moll night.

*Bob's advice that the "style" was more important the the date a tune
was written was appropriate to the situation.
It's okay to wear a suit that looks like it was made in the 20's, and
it's okay to play a tune that sounds like it was written in the 20's.
Relax and enjoy the music, that's what it's for.

 - Steve Apple


> In a message dated 5/14/07 10:46:04 AM,
> dixielandjazz-request at ml.islandnet.com writes:
>
> > It has been so many years since the "Roaring 20s" that none of the songs
> > have to be authentic 1920.? They just have to sound like they are.
> >
> > --Bob Ringwald
> >
> YOU CANT MEAN THAT!!!   What a specious assessment/dumbed down idea. Your
> comment provides only a hairbreath distinction between authentic and
> 'sounds
> like'. And this from the guy who is so meticulous about subject lines!
> And you
> want to bring the kids to this?
> No wonder kids dont wanna hear what came before their own entry into the
> world. Why bother?
> Like "everyone knows"...<<things dont need to be real to be authentic? >>
> It is sad to see the corruption of language now metasticizing into the
> music.
>
> Similar to the Bush 'Blue Skies' Initiative that ISN'T, maybe we should
> start
> using the word 'authentic' when we really mean bogus.   We could stablish
> a
> new standard for 'authentic' and abolish the precision of that wonderful
> word,
> so we never have to think about it again.    ~Just   mnsho about a word
> that
> should mean something.   Perhaps i'm overreacting...but for good reason:
> as a
> true *female*, words and even lyrics are important to me!   I read it in
> DLJML.
> ALOHA!
> PS <<it has been so many years>> since WWII, but the Nazi's still lost the
> war.
>
>
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