[Dixielandjazz] The best Snake Rag ever.

[M J (Mike) Logsdon]

Well, gotta watch my wording better next time, eh?

Obviously, my subject line was merely an expression of the personal enjoyment I derived from this lovely 9+ min Snake Rag, not an objective judgment on its "best"-ness.  Sorry about that.

I simply found this particular performance excellent, embodying the spirit in which I believe Oliver, Armstrong, etc, played it when not limited to 3 mins.  Individual virtuosity is quite often lost on me, as I was not aware, until I entered the OKOM world in 1993, just how many damn good players there are in the world.  So, sure, these guys probably aren't as good as those on the 1923 Olivers, but they're very good.

In terms of "favorite" Snake Rag, I guess the winner for me is still the Watters version on Blesh's live 1947 This is Jazz program (the only one broadcast from the Left Coast, to the best of my memory).  It, too, is only, I think, 3:16 or thereabouts, but I recall listening to it over and over, never feeling like I was listening to something as long as a 78, so enjoyable I found it.