[Dixielandjazz] Clint Eastwood and Jazz

[Stephen G Barbone]

On Aug 18, 2008, at 3:53 PM, Marek Boym wrote:

> I have seen - and liked - "Bird," at a small Tel-Aviv cinema which
> specialized in "art" films, now long defunct.

> Still, both films mentioned are hardly OKOM; moreover, Parker said
> that "bebop was no love child of jazz."

True enough, neither "Bird" nor "Straight No Chaser" are strictly  
OKOM. But then, what is?

However, regardless of what Bird may have said out of context, he was  
primarily a blues player. And throughout his solos he liberally  
sprinkled quotes from OKOMers who went before him. He was especially  
fond of inserting a couple of bars of Picou's "High Society" in  
various tunes including the seminal bebop tune, "Koko". I became  
personally aware of that OKOM influence when Omer Simeon introduced me  
to Bird in front of Jimmy Ryan's one night;  "You have to go next door  
and hear this man's (Bird) next set. Listen to his roots." Bird then  
played Koko paying homage to Picou.

And Monk's (Straight No Chaser) first mentor was James P Johnson, who  
lived around the corner. You can hear that influence all through  
Monk's recorded legacy. Lots of stride in Monk's playing. Especially  
in his stride blues composition "Functional".

Cheers,
Steve Barbone
www.myspace.com/barbonestreetjazzband