[Dixielandjazz] Stock charts

[Don Ingle]

A bit of history about this subject of stocks.
The famed Goldkette arrangement of Clementine began as a stock sent by 
the publisher. Though most of it was played as is, Bill Challis made a 
little tinkering here and there to mold it to the talent of the band.  
Certainly Bix's classic solo was not something a Jack Mason type would 
write out.
Consider the McKinney's Cottonpickers, one hot, hot band for its time. 
Leader, arrranger and tenor man Don Redman rewrote a number of stock 
arrangements, adding and balancing the talents of the band and 
re-arranging to fit. While he wrote many full charts himself, the demand 
to play the continuing "hit" tunes of the week or month meant relying on 
some stocks just to keep up. It was a common practice in that day.
The Clementine stock was recorded by several other bands of that time -- 
but once you hear them and then hear the Goldkette version you realize 
that the key is not the chart, but in the talent that makes it their 
own. That element -- taste if you will - cannot be written; but stocks 
served their purpose of making a band commercially successful because 
the public still anted to hear their favorite tunes of the day. Does 
the  title "What a Wonderful World" hit a Bell?
Some have shuddered over that tune here on the list, but for Louis, in 
his late life, it kept him widely popular with a wider public than might 
have been the case.And bands today suck it up because when the paying 
public requests it, the smart players play it, take their checks home to 
the bank, and bitch in private.
Again, the key is the talent that makes any chart swing. And brother, 
for me nothing every swung harder than the Goldkette Victor band when 
they were ready to play. Flip that original Clementine side and give My 
Pretty Gal a listen. Ventuti on fire, Brown's slap bass setting the 
standard, and clarinet  soaring n contrast to Spieglwe Willcox's 
straight melody. Thank you Mr Challis.for it. Swing? Swing? Like a 
trampeze on steriods!
Don Ingle

Paul Edgerton passed on this::
>> A lot more attention needs to be given the place of stock charts in the
>> history of 20s-30s jazz. They reflected and codified the music styles of
>> the era, and proved to my satisfaction that jazz can be written and
>> arranged.
>>
>> Their study is much easier today because the charts are increasingly
>> available, eg. from Jim Jones' YesterTunes.com
>>
>> --Sheik
>>     
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