[Dixielandjazz] JAZZ WAX ARTICLE - The death trap of early jazz.

[Bert Brandsma]

It is not only young people who think jazz started after WW2,  the conservatories in my country teach it that way.Modern Avant garde jazz is heavily sponsored by our government, tradjazz is not interesting.In one history schoolbook here it is written that Dixieland is a bad, cheap imitation of the original black New Orleans Jazz. No explanation, it is just stated that simple.I asked : what about Bix, Adrian Rollini, Jack Teagarden???? No reply.

After my studies I once attended a master class by Lee Konitz.He knew what he was talking about.
At first he let the students play. Then after a while he asked if there where question about things the students wanted to learn.They all came with questions about playing outside harmony and altered scales, that kind of stuff.
Konitz reply was: none of the students I heard today is ready to learn that.All go back to the record shop and buy a Louis Armstrong CD, first start to learn the grammar of jazz and basics of the blues.I thought that he was so right. The students even didn't know Armstrong played trumpet, thought he was a singer.... well they were partly right.....
But the problem is that a lot of conservatory teachers don't know Armstrong, or Ellington, for the matter.Sure they know Take The A Train as a standard, but even forget all the arrangement details.Also a lot don't even know I got Rhythm has a few extra bars at the last A.Once I found myself in a jam session with these kind of teachers. They wanted to play I Got Rhythm.I asked do you want to play the last A with the extra bars? They glanced at me and said.. What? Nobody does.....I replied, then Benny Goodman and Louis Armstrong must be Nobody! They solo on these extra bars on all their records.

A much more possitive story :A couple of weeks we played as soloist with a large wind orchestra.
I allready gave the youtube link :  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-yR7Vbltj0U
After the concert the Dixieland Crackerjacks played the after party, a dance attended by esp. the younger people of the orchestra : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RRyiFxdzNl0
They were very enthousiastic and bought a lot of CDs.In fact after the dance they had their own late night after party and insisted that the DJ there played our CD, since they wanted to hear the music again.
I felt very happy when I heard that. Not everything is hopeless for our music.
Kind regards,
Bert Brandsma







> From: barbonestreet at earthlink.net
> Date: Wed, 21 Apr 2010 10:38:21 -0400
> Subject: [Dixielandjazz] JAZZ WAX ARTICLE - The death trap of early jazz.
> CC: dixielandjazz at ml.islandnet.com
> To: mister_bertje at hotmail.com
> 
> Often we "purists" complain that the general public would only listen  
> to early jazz they would get hooked. And we bemoan the fact that most  
> young folks think jazz started after WW 2. The below article by Marc  
> Myers describes a mindset with which many of us might disagree. Does  
> early jazz turn newcomers off?
> 
> Credit for digging up this article goes to list mate Norman Vickers,  
> who said in part:
> 
> "We all have our own opinions about recommendations when someone asks  
> “Where can I learn something about jazz?” My recommendations used to  
> be The Smithsonian Collection of Classic jazz.  It began at the  
> beginning, had 5 hours of listening along with a booklet.  I  
> recommended that  they read the booklet—listen 30 minutes at a time.   
> So that amounted to “ten easy lessons.”  Unfortunately, it is out of  
> print."
> 
> Like Norm, I love the Smithsonian Collection and booklet. One of the  
> few albums I still possess. Now, I would recommend the Ken Burns DVD  
> and accompanying booklet. You can go the JazzWax.com to see the  
> original blog and many other articles about jazz.
> 
> Cheers,
> 
> Steve Barbone
> 
> www.myspace.com/barbonestreetjazzband
> 
>  From JazzWax - By Marc Myers
> 
> Last week a friend asked me to recommend a jazz compilation for  
> someone new to jazz. I resisted, telling him that they're all death  
> traps. First, they're loaded with old things (pre-World War II) that  
> are great later but certainly would turn off a newcomer. Second,  
> compilation song choices often stink.
> 
> Instead, I urged him simply to buy 10 albums that would win over a  
> newcomer and put him or her firmly on the road to discovery. "But  
> choosing 10 is impossible," he protested.
> 
> Not so. Here are 10 albums I would play or buy for a beginner who's  
> curious about the music. And I'd do so in the following order, to draw  
> in the person little by little (all are available as downloads):
> 
> Bill Evans—How My Heart Sings (1962)
> Oscar Peterson—Plays the Jerome Kern Songbook (1956)
> Dave Brubeck—Jazz Impressions of Eurasia (1958)
> Miles Davis—Musings of Miles (1955)
> Sonny Rollins—Newk's Time (1957)
> Lee Morgan—Lee-Way (1960)
> Red Garland—It's a Blue World (1958)
> Coleman Hawkins—Night Hawk (1960)
> John Coltrane—Stardust (1958)
> Jack McDuff—The Honeydripper (1961)
> 
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