[Dixielandjazz] Band Personna

[Stephen G Barbone]

On Dec 4, 2009, at 6:14 PM, Marek Boym wrote:

> Are "Feeling No Pain" or "Freshman Hop" not "any good?"  Twenties'
> bands (and even later Condon and related bands) played a lot of tunes
> that have unfortunately become obscure.
> Cheers

After taking a sentence of Barbone's post out of context.
>
>>
>> We figure that obscure tunes are usually obscure because they  
>> weren't any
>> good in the first place.

Dear Marek:

I have no idea whether or not they are "any good". The operative word  
in the sentence you quoted is "USUALLY"  and therefore is not all  
inclusive. I simply choose not to take a chance on playing obscure  
tunes because I believe my audiences want to hear something that is  
either relatively familiar, or a proven winner.

Perhaps it is like "export" pottery which the Chines and Japanese sent  
to to other countries in past times. Specifically labeled "export"  
because it was not up to their usual standard of quality. Yet a small  
so-called knowledgeable group of folks in other countries collect it  
with great zeal and label it "art". Art or junk is in the eye of the  
beholder I guess, whether it be music, visual, or artifact.

OKOM is obscure enough vis a vis "music" and I have no desire to make  
it more obscure by searching out tunes which didn't make it the first  
time around.

Cheers,
Steve Barbone
www.myspace.com/barbonestreetjazzband