[Dixielandjazz] Stereotyping

[Marek Boym]

Not very convincing.  There are indeed excellent OKOM musicians of all
colours and races, but the percentage of blacks among them is smaller
than in the entire population, or in other types of music.  Still,
there are plenty.
I remember a time in Amsterdam when my wife and I entered a cafe
(before the days they started selling grass), and there was that young
kid from Philadelphia (cannot recall his name, but he was in his late
teens) playing and singing boogie woogie.  I was surprised, and told
him so.  He just laughed.  And when asked why he had chosen that kind
of music, he gave the best reply possible: "Because I love it, man!"
Cheers

On 29/08/2008, Stephen G Barbone <barbonestreet at earthlink.net> wrote:
> >
> > eupher dude <eupher61 at hotmail.com> wrote (Polite Snip)
> >
> >
> > I've often read on DJML that it's a shame more African American musicians
> don't play OKOM.  No wonder.  Yes, the current crop of "artists" (using the
> term loosely) have no problem with using slang, vernacular, and rhetoric
> that would draw a lawsuit against most non-black people.  That's fine.  They
> have no respect for themselves, tough, but I won't go down that road too.
> >
>
> Folks, shouldn't put too much credence in DJML posts that blacks do not play
> OKOM. Nor should they stereotype "the current crop of artists".
>
> The concert our 6 piece Dixieland band played, with Jonathan Russell as our
> guest last Sunday, had 3 black OKOM players. The concert I did Monday had 4
> black OKOM players. They are gentlemen as well as excellent jazz musicians;
> don't use "slang vernacular and rhetoric that would draw a lawsuit against
> most non black people" but probably would not be surprised such an unfair
> characterization by a white Dixielander.
>
> Sometimes I front a band version where all the other players are black. Same
> story.
>
> Point being, there are idiot musicians of every color, race, creed. And
> there are wonderful musicians of every color, race and creed. As a working
> jazz musician, with a network of both black and white jazz musicians,
> working every one of my 160 gigs this year with blacks in my band, I speak
> from actual experience, not some theory of pre determined opinion.
>
>
> Cheers,
> Steve Barbone
> www.myspace.com/barbonestreetjazzband
>
>
>
>
>
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