[Dixielandjazz] Question from Igor

[Rick Zahniser]

David Richoux wrote:
> Rick and all,
>
> As I have only been playing Trad bass (tuba) since 1978 or so, and 
> grew up right in the height of the Rock and Roll/Baby Boom era I don't 
> know if I am fully qualified (or authorized) to respond ;-)
>
> IMO there are songs that work well with a strong Two-Beat, there are 
> songs that work well with a strong 4 Beat, and there are many that can 
> go either way - if the dancers and listeners are responding well, if 
> the song feels "Right" to the musicians then I guess I don't care if 
> it is Trad, Swing, Jazz, Rock, Pop, or whatever! I have recently had a 
> chance to play some swinging 9/8 - it worked, and the dancers were 
> having a great time!
>
> A "Strictly Trad" band as you define it would be kind of boring to me 
> - I have played in some, but the groups that I respond to better have 
> the freedom and skills to play a wider range - and I think that the 
> recorded evidence of the full spectrum of actual working bands of the 
> 1920s thru late 1930s shows that "Two Beat Jazz" was  really a pretty 
> small part of what we call the Jazz Age.
>
> I sometimes think Trad Jazz is somewhat like Polka Music - there is a 
> "huge" audience for traditional Polka - conventions, festivals, TV 
> shows - thousands of recordings, long careers for the musicians, 
> die-hard fans, dancers and listeners, traditionalists and 
> revisionists; but the average kid in the music store is probably not 
> going to buy a Polka record any quicker than he might buy a Trad (or 
> any other kind of) Jazz record.
>
> Disclaimer - I actually like Polka music, traditional and revisionist! 
> I even play in some local polka bands from time to time...
>
> Dave Richoux
>
Thanks Dave, for your thoughtful response,

 From '64 to '68, I spent every weekend I could spare listening to the 
Firehouse Five out at Disneyland.  I was NEVER bored, and they never 
played anything but Trad -- 2-beat.  Then I moved to Denver, where I 
lived about a mile from the Queen City Jazz Band. (playing real Trad) 
and I was never bored.

Every time I got to SFO, I would hotfoot it over to Earthquake McGoon's 
and listen to Turk.  I was NEVER bored!!

I do listen to all kinds of music.  MKOM is probably a lot broader than 
OKOM, including country, zydeco (my son is a world-class accordionista) 
conjunto, "dinner jazz", and of course, Trad and Dixieland. 

But people increasingly seem to be pouring a lot of stuff into the Trad 
basket, probably for some financial gain. But maybe they just don't know 
any better. I will try to inform them. 

Actually, I'm just testing the waters here.  Again, thnks for responding.

Rick Jolley
http://coloradonighthawks.com