[Dixielandjazz] Early Jazz Bands and musicians who read

[Larry Walton Entertainment - St. Louis]

Steve said --- No doubt some Uptowners could read and some couldn't. Either 
way they often
> mixed up tunes.
And..................
I think they may have said they couldn't
> read as a marketing ploy. I wonder why? Maybe because in 1917, the 
> audience
> thought authentic jazz was a gift to "non-reading" Black musicians.
_______________________________

I suspect it was very similar to today.  There are bands that can read but 
don't and there are those that read but don't have to.  Others mix it up.  I 
play with bands that go full range from no charts to rather involved 
arrangements.

Small groups tend to be more free wheeling as well as groups that have been 
together for a long time.  My big Dixie band reads charts which is heresy to 
many in the local jazz club.  Actually most of our charts require both 
skills since they are made up of major stretches of chord symbols in all 
parts.

If your band is an ensemble based band, then today, you need readers that 
can do arrangements.  On the other hand if you are doing the standard play 
the Dixie head, everyone takes solos then the Dixie out chorus with someone 
doing the intros and hope to end together then you don't need charts.

The division comes when you have a fairly large pool of players that can 
play together at least a standard number of tunes.  This requires musicians 
that have a good knowledge of the style, soloing and tunes.

The ensemble based groups can draw from a much larger pool of musicians 
whose improv skills aren't on as high an order or are even beginners in the 
idiom as long as they can read and play fairly well.  The high knowledge of 
Dixie as a style isn't as needed either.  Don't take that as I think you can 
be devoid of knowledge of Dixie either.  A satisfactory performance can be 
achieved with less time spent.

As far as arrangements go I like the Black Swan Band arrangements best 
because they are more outlines rather than a note by note written out 
arrangement.  They require all the skills yet sound very good as 
arrangements.  I have a bunch of Zep Meisner charts where everything is 
written out.  I think his arrangements are great but I don't enjoy them as 
much because everyone has their heads buried in the chart trying to play 
everything exactly right.

Groups from 1900-40's played constantly together and would get to know the 
arrangements either written or head where they really didn't need the charts 
or if they were an improvising jazz group they had sometimes years to 
perfect arrangements and hammer them out from day in and day out 
performances.

For the most part we don't have that luxury today.  There simply isn't 
enough work for musicians to perfect the "arrangements" of the early 
musicians unless they are written or you are lucky enough to have very fine 
musicians who are willing to rehearse and have played together at least for 
awhile.  Most improvising bands fall back on the "solo based", head, solos, 
Dixie out form of Dixie.  For that you don't need arrangements but IMO can 
get to be boring and predictable even with good musicians.

Unfortunately today very few people can make it just playing and there are 
thousands of other things that creep in such as making enough money to pay 
the bills.

I think our local jazz club thinks that solo based, non reading bands are 
the only kind that are worth anything.  Too bad for them and too bad for 
OKOM.
Larry
St. Louis