[Dixielandjazz] King Oliver

[Ken Mathieson]

Hi listers/lurkers/listees,

It has occurred to me that Oliver has never had his due recognition as an influential figure in the development of jazz arranging. He may not have actually written the charts (I wonder who did?), but I'm pretty sure he had a lot of input in their creation. The Oliver sides from 1926 on are as advanced in arranging terms as most of their contemporaries. There's also plenty of anecdotal evidence that Oliver specified how the individual instruments should perform in the ensembles of the earlier Creole Jazz Band of 1923. He was clearly a musician who thought about the structure of performances and I'd be amazed if he hadn't largely dictated how he wanted pieces to sound. It would also be interesting to know how some of the compositions of Oliver and Dave Nelson were written. Did they write together, or did one of them do all the writing with the other getting his name on the pieces? Their Sweet Like This is one of the prettiest pieces to come out of the 1920s.

Any Oliver specialists out there who can shed some light?

Regards,

Ken Mathieson

www.classicjazzorchestra.org.uk