[Dixielandjazz] Subject: Re: Jazz dying - not it isn't!

[DWSI at aol.com]

Hi, all Dixielandjazz fans. May I add another two-cents worth of commentary  
on this?
 
The problems of categorizing things has stirred endless debates in science  
for many years and I see a somewhat parallel categorizing problem when we  talk 
about "what is or isn't jazz." I was playing bar room and Dixieland piano  in 
the 50's when the "paradigm shift" (a term Thomas Kuhn invented to describe  
huge, total changes in scientific perspective and assumptions) occurred in the 
 people's music; and it happened subtly. We had brought in guitar players  
occasionally for years but then, one day, we brought in an "electric guitar"  
player and the big change started. We just didn't see it coming. To us, the  
electric guitar was a rhythm  option--and not one we welcomed. It could get  "too 
loud" sometimes. At first we just made bad jokes about  getting electrocuted 
if we stepped on the guitar player's amp wiring.  But then, little by little, 
we heard more and different kinds of electric guitar  music--particularly from 
the coasts--and it didn't sound all like Les Paul  and Mary Ford. Then the 
word "Rock" became a label that went with the  electric guitars and pretty soon 
"Rock" included electric base and  everything else electric you could carry 
around on a job (such as a "keyboard").  My point is really a theory of sorts, I 
guess. The paradigm shift I  see is not just from jazz to Rock--but from 
traditional jazz  instruments to standard Rock instruments. The instrument shift 
brought many  changes with it. Guitar music is usually written in sharps, 
whereas our  music (jazz) was usually written in flats. The acceptable volume level 
changed  too, along with the average age of the audience, the typical subject 
matter  for songs, the chords (guitar chords can be much bigger and more 
sophisticated)  and, of course, the dancing styles. The only thing that didn't 
seem to change  was playing jobs to make money and trying to please the people 
who paid you to  play. I guess you could talk about recording differences 
too--but that's enough  on this subject for one post. I would add one thought: Jazz 
was about  instruments which defined what you sounded like and (often) what 
you made music  about--and you can say the same for Rock. But in both cases, the 
 variations kept coming and coming until the term, (Jazz or Rock),  became 
less and less defining. I don't think it's going to get clearer for  either 
term--just more defused and unclear. You wind up playing what you  like for an 
audience you hope likes it.

Dan (backup piano)  Spink     



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