[Dixielandjazz] Jazz and Classical

[Ken Mathieson]

Hi Anton et al,

Anton wrote in his post:

As to Mozart, the Benny Goodman connection comes to mind immediately.
Even today, Goodman's recording of the Clarinet Quintet is a
"contender". In terms of feeling, however, I'd offer Omer Simeon.

I've always thought Benny Carter was the nearest in the jazz world to Mozart. There's that effortless skill in producing attractive melodies, which generally turn out to be more complex than you imagine at first. In Benny's case this applies to both his written and improvised work, but then composition is the setting down of an idea that springs from the imagination, so Mozart, had he lived in the Jazz Age, would undoubtedly have been renowned improviser. I'm not sure whether he had a reputation for improvised performances in his lifetime, but Beethoven certainly did.

There's also an ever-present elegance in the works of both Carter and Mozart, but the clincher for me is that both men created pieces which lull you into thinking you know where it's heading, but then they throw in an unexpected twist towards the end, which more often than not "causes the sun to come out."

Cheers,

Ken Mathieson
www.classicjazzorchestra.org.uk