[Dixielandjazz] Straight Ahead Jazz

[Stephen G Barbone]

Ken Gates asked what is "Straight Ahead Jazz"?

I think it means different things to different people and is therefore  
hard to pin down exactly. Among my jazz musician friends here in the  
Philadelphia area it means; post swing jazz (around 1940 and later)  
that is conventional in style and not complicated by the huge extended  
chords or rhythms of bop, fusion, avant garde, free jazz, smooth jazz  
etc. Nor is it Dixieland.

It moves forward in a "straight ahead" manner, chords going where you  
think they are going, like swing, however is small band and virtually  
all improvised after the melody statement. At first, we called it  
"progressive jazz".

Examples would be the small band recordings of Lester Young, Coleman  
Hawkins, Ben Webster, Gerry Mulligan, Paul Desmond, Harry Edison, Zoot  
Sims et al. Tunes played are often American Songbook.

Problem is, like any "definition" of styles, the lines are very  
blurred. And some of the musicians flit back and forth among them.

When I work with my trio, Guitar/Bass/Clarinet, I describe it as  
"Straight Ahead" or "American Songbook", or "Cocktail" Jazz.

Cheers,
Steve Barbone
www.myspace.com/barbonestreetjazzband