[Dixielandjazz] Lurkers (cont'd)

[Ken Mathieson]

Hi Mike et al 

In response to my message of "I'm at Uddingston, near Glasgow, in Scotland (presently in UK), Mike Logsdon replied: "Presently"?  "Is Scotland still trying to overthrow the Queen's oppressive yoke?" 

I'll try not to get political, Mike, but the Queen seems to be pretty blameless, certainly in comparison to the way the UK politicians have been misbehaving. It's also pretty unfair that so much gets done in the name of the Crown (e.g. wars, unpopular policies etc), when the decisions actually get made by the politicians, who are largely on the take and are now paying back large sums claimed on expenses, while loudly proclaiming their innocence.

To get back to OKOM, I should have added to my location info above the tag-line "Currently transcribing Benny Carter arrangements for a concert by my band with the fantastic English saxophonist Alan Barnes (yes we do have friends among the Sassenachs) at the Edinburgh Jazz Festival on 4 August."  If any of you have ever tried transcribing Benny's writing for saxophone sections, you'll know how complicated his writing can look, but how wonderful it sounds. Pure genius!

Also, for Don Ingle: My band, the Classic Jazz Orchestra, played a small traditional jazz festival in Kirkcudbright, Scotland, last weekend, where we played a complete concert of music associated with Bix. The last chart for the gig, based around the Tram/Bix recording of Way Down Yonder in N.O. was finished just a couple of days before the festival, and it was a pleasure to learn that Don's dad, Red, had been on that record. It's funny how the history of this music connects: I was busy transcribing lines played by a man I never met whose son (whom I've also never met) is a regular contributor to this list and whose postings I read almost every day.

Another example from a few years back was a fund-raising gig in Edinburgh which involved me playing in a trio to back the invited horn-players and singers. Among the guests were an incredibly talented, but fiercely contemporary, young pianist and bass-guitarist, whose drummer had failed to show. I was drafted in to play with them and afterwards the hugely experienced Scottish singer, Fionna Duncan, remarked about the continuity of jazz history she'd just witnessed: Here were 2 great young talents, aged about 15 and still at school, working with a drummer who had played frequently with someone (Benny Waters) who had worked with King Oliver. Incidentally, for those of you who know Fionna, she's been pretty ill over the last year, but is on the mend, so we're all hoping she'll back to full health soon.

Cheers,

Ken Mathieson
www.classicjazzorchestra.org.uk