[Dixielandjazz] Jazz and Ragtime

[D and R Hardie]

Hi Steve,
                      Absolutely. It does make sense to try to define 
jazz but what we often disagree about is the performance style.
Buddy Bolden was playing the dance music tunes of his time but he 
introduced a new idea, ragging the tune and  introducing the blues, to 
replace conventional performance as written with ad lib  improvisation. 
Some one later called it jazz - jazzing it up. The David Jasen article 
is an old one but its import seems to have been missed. Thanks to Mike 
Medding's  dedicated team of researchers it has been revived.
regards
  Dan Hardie
http://tinyurl.com/nqaup

On Tuesday, February 17, 2009, at 01:36  AM, Stephen G Barbone wrote:

>> D and R Hardie <darnhard at ozemail.com.au> wrote
>>
>> Hi Everyone,
>>                       Those of you with an interest in the roots of
>> jazz might like to check out an article just posted on Mike Meddings
>> website. Among other things it deals with the relationship between 
>> jazz
>> and ragtime.Well known ragtime historian David Jasen points out that
>> jazz is a way of performing that differs from ragtime and the ragtime
>> influenced popular music of the ragtime era.
>> There's a lot more there besides. If you don't know it already you can
>> get there at:
>>                     http://www.doctorjazz.co.uk/updates.html
>
> Interesting article Dan. Thanks for posting it. One thing I found 
> informative. The second paragraph was enlightening in terms of 
> discussing what jazz is. If true, then most of the arguments among us, 
> about what jazz is, or is not, are specious. <grin>
>
> ***begin snip
>
> "Unlike ragtime, jazz is not a form of music. Jazz is defined not by 
> what is played but by how it is played. Jazz music is that which is 
> played by a jazz musician. It only exists by virtue of the musician or 
> group of musicians creating it. The main elements contain either solo 
> or collective improvisation on a theme to make variations combining a 
> manner of phrasing which expresses individuality through timing. The 
> piece can be any kind of tune or in any style. Rags, marches, dances, 
> classical compositions, popular tunes — all can be and are played by 
> jazz bands and soloists. Since jazz is not a form but an 
> interpretation based on some type of form, this accounts for the 
> endless different sounds of jazz, whether it be Muskrat Ramble 
> orGroovin’ High. It is nonsense to say that these tunes played by 
> jazzmen bear any resemblance to each other. When played by jazz 
> musicians, these tunes become jazz. When they are played as written, 
> they are no longer jazz but straight compositions."
>
> ***end snip
>
> Cheeers,
> Steve Barbone
>
> www.barbonestreet.com
> www.myspace.com/barbonestreetjazzband
>
>
>
>
>
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