[Dixielandjazz] The Jazz Police

[Stephen G Barbone]

Following article is from The Guardian in the UK, dateline December 9,  
2009. Now we know for sure. There really are Jazz Police, at least in   
Spain. Hey Festival Directors,don't let those psychologically  
inadvisable musicians play at your event, lest some nut case fan sue  
you. <grin>

Cheers,
Steve (You're under musical arrest) Barbone
www.myspace.com/barbonestreetjazzband




Jazzman Larry Ochs has seen many things during 40 years playing his  
saxophone around the world but, until this week, nobody had ever  
called the police on him.That changed on Monday night however, when's  
Spain's pistol-carrying Civil Guard police force descended on the  
Sigüenza Jazz festival to investigate allegations that Ochs's music  
was not, well, jazz.

Police decided to investigate after an angry jazz buff complained that  
the Larry Ochs Sax and Drumming Core group was on the wrong side of a  
line dividing jazz from contemporary music.

The jazz purist claimed his doctor had warned it was "psychologically  
inadvisable" for him to listen to anything that could be mistaken for  
mere contemporary music.
According to a report in El País newspaper yesterday, the khaki-clad  
police officers listened to the saxophone-playing and drumming coming  
from the festival stage before agreeing that the purist might, indeed,  
have a case.

His complaint against the organisers, who refused to return his money,  
was duly registered and will be passed on to a judge. "The gentleman  
said this was not jazz and that he wanted his money back," said the  
festival director, Ricardo Checa.
"He didn't get his money. After all, he knew exactly what group he was  
going to see, as their names were on the festival programme.

He added: "The question of what constitutes jazz and what does not is  
obviously a subjective one, but not everything is New Orleans funeral  
music. "Larry Ochs plays contemporary, creative jazz. He is a fine  
musician and very well-renowned."

"I thought I had seen it all," Ochs, who reportedly suffered a  
momentary identity crisis, told El País. "I was obviously mistaken."  
"After this I will at least have a story to tell my grandchildren,"  
the California-based saxophonist added.