[Dixielandjazz] Free Jazz & New Orleans Jazz Roots

[Stephen G Barbone]

On Nov 9, 2009, at 5:01 AM, dixielandjazz-request at ml.islandnet.com  
wrote:

> "Jim Kashishian" <jim at kashprod.com> wrote
>
> I had the opportunity (for lack of any other way of describing it!) of
> dabbling in free jazz during the years that I was playing 7 nites a  
> week, 12
> months a year with a house band.  Our Dixie band played one nite a  
> week when
> the house band rested...but, I played every nite.  Anyway, the house  
> band,
> with top notch musicians, did go into free on occassions (this would  
> have
> been late '60's/early '70's.
>
> It was interesting, to say the least.  The most enjoyable moment was  
> when
> the whole band, without signals & without any particular reason, would
> suddenly "come together" again & drive together.  Thrilling, since  
> it just
> "happened", which means that there really was some kind of  
> togetherness all
> through the free period.  A feeling, I guess you could call it.  There
> certainly was a necesity to keep in touch mentally with the rest of  
> the
> band, although it would seem from outside that there was no  
> connection at
> all.
>
> A connection with NO jazz?  Dunno about that, although I was able to  
> do it,
> with all my experience in earlier jazz.

Amen;

The most together band I ever saw/heard in my life was Ornette  
Coleman, Charlie Hayden et al in a quartet at the Five Spot in NYC  
circa 1959-60. It was at the beginning of the Free Jazz genre. I  
didn't  understand it then, but I could hear that they were all tuned  
in to each other.

Perhaps the connection to NO Jazz is that in order to play it  
correctly and get into a groove, you have to listen intently to your  
band mates, what they are playing, what chords/substitutions they are  
using, etc., etc. And then you have to fit your part into the mix  
until it is your turn to lead via solo. They they must follow you.  
Quite a few Dixielanders went on to Free Jazz / Avant Garde.

You can hear it on the Henry Threadgill mp3 that started this thread.  
After them melody statement, Threadgill and the bass go off on their  
own, while the drummer attempts to play a rough edged drum back-up  
that is almost a sort of parody of NO drumming. What I think he misses  
is the impeccable time necessary to carry it off.
Just my opinion.

I suspect that only a few of us know about, or have listened to Henry  
Threadgill. He is very far out on the avant garde scene. But he was  
commissioned to explore the work of Scott Joplin and Jelly Roll  
Morton. Tracks on the recording are Ragtime Dance, Buddy Bolden's  
Blues, King Porter Stomp, Paille Street and Weeping Willow Rag. Funny  
how most of the numbers were composed by pianists, but there is no  
piano in Threadgill's trio.

You can hear snips from each song at: (The original record "AIr Lore",  
sells for $100 or so to collectors)

https://soundsbox.com/album.php?al=4427#samplePlayer

Note the chord changes on Ragtime Dance . . . Bill Bailey?????

Cheers,
Steve Barbone
www.myspace.com/barbonestreetjazzband