[Dixielandjazz] Al Grey playing Dixieland

[Marek Boym]

Hello Steve,
I did mention the "boppish trumpet," so I feel no need to comment on
that any further.
Benko's band is far from limited to Dixieland - it plays swing as well.
I've heard records of East European traditional bands featuring such
modernists as Tony Scott, and others.
I heard the Eldridge band at Ryans' in 1980, and it was BORING!  The
musicians sounded uninterested and lethargic.  The intermission piano
(Red Richards) was something else!  I had that experience twice - the
first time it was Max Kaminsky that fronted the band.
On the Eldridge evening, during the intermission Eldridge was
approached by two ladies of his age and height.  They gave him a tape
they had made at a concert in Chicago, if I am not mistaken, and all
three seemed to have great time!  After the intermission, it was a
transformed Eldridge that took the stage.  Disregarding the band and
the repertoire, he played highlights of his old repertoire for his two
guests, and it was Great!  The band eventually followed, but Eldridge
did not seem to care.
If you want to know "just what the hell music between Swing and
Dixieland could possibly be," listen to Eldrdge's "Dixieland" band on
Verve!  It is closer to "swing" than to Dixieland, but it features
mainly Dixieland repertoire and line-up.  But then, is it important?
It sounds good, and that's what matters.
Because of my experience at Jimmy Ryan's, I missed many years of
listening to Muranyi, until I came across Bougeois Scum (better known
as Classic Jazz Quartet - media refused to play nusic by a band with
such a name, and record companies - to record it).
Cheers

On 30/06/2008, Stephen G Barbone <barbonestreet at earthlink.net> wrote:
> Trumpeter is Mike Vax on that clip. I agree that sitting in with a Dixieland
> Band may not necessarily mean playing Dixieland, but then what would you
> call what Al Grey (and Mike Vax) are playing with Benko. And what is Benko
> Dixieland Band playing?
>
> Then too, I saw/heard Al Grey playing Dixieland in NYC, just like Roy
> Eldridge and Coleman Hawkins and many others not necessarily thought of as
> Dixieland musicians did, when their big band jobs evaporated.
>
> Eldridge once had the following conversation with a trad fan who heard him
> at Jimmy Ryan's  joint in the 1970s.
>
> Fan:  "Hey Roy, sounds great. I didn't know you were a Dixieland player."
>
> Roy: "I've been playing what you call Dixieland all my life."
>
> Some media types categorized the music that he played at Ryan's as that
> which" fell between swing and Dixieland". His group there was Joe Muranyi,
> reeds; Bobby Pratt, trombone; Dick Katz, piano; Major Holley, Bass; and
> Eddie Locke, drums. Sure as hell sounded like Dixieland to me every time I
> visited. And, I never  could figure out just what the hell music "between
> Swing and Dixieland" could possibly be.
>
> Cheers,
> Steve Barbone
>
>
>
>
> On Jun 29, 2008, at 5:04 PM, Marek Boym wrote:
>
> > Thanks, Steve.
> > What Al Grey plays is hardly Dixieland, but definitely MKOM.  The
> > boppish trumpet - less so, whoever it is.  Sitting in with a Dixieland
> > band, especially in Europe, does not necessarily mean playing
> > dixieland.
> > Very enjoyable nyway.
> > Cheers
> >
> > On 25/06/2008, Stephen G Barbone <barbonestreet at earthlink.net> wrote:
> >
> > > For a listen to Al Grey (and Mike Vax) playing Dixieland with Benko Jazz
> > > Band see:
> > > (CAUTION) Maybe too modern for some. <grin>)
> > >
> > > http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fqOwzYN2kaE
> > >
> >
>