[Dixielandjazz] School Directors and Jazz Sense

[Stephen G Barbone]

Martin McKay asked about jazz musicians in their formative school  
years, and whether or not the band director had jazz sense.

Dear Mart:

In my high school years (late 1940s) my high school had a strong music  
program. (Bayside HS in Queens County NY) Great Band and a Great  
Orchestra. The music director had no jazz sense what so ever. He  
viewed jazz in all its forms as illegitimate music. One day he caught  
me playing a poor imitation of Rosy McHargue's solo on 12th Street Rag  
in one of the individual practice rooms. He searched for the music and  
was dumfounded to hear that I learned it by ear.

His displeasure was evident and he threatened to throw me out of the  
band (in my senior year when I was 1st chair 2nd clarinet).  if he  
ever heard me playing that trashy jazz again. It was music of bums, he  
said. BTW the first chair, 1st clarinet was Raoul Querze who went to  
Curtis and then to the Philadelphia Orchestra as 2nd clarinet. 2nd  
chair 1st clarinet was Ron Paolillo who went to the Pittsburgh  
Symphony. They were great players. I was not.

Also, the legendary Glenn Dodson (Philadelphia Orchestra), used to  
regale us in Barbone Street about how Eugene Ormandy HATED jazz and  
jazz musicians. He forbade the Orchestra members from playing jazz and  
even had a jazz record made by Orchestra members taken out of  
circulation. Glenn was very happy when Ormandy left in 1980.


In 2004, we played a gig at the Old Pine Street Church in whose  
graveyard, Ormandy is buried. Glenn stood over the grave and said: "I  
hope you heard me playing some jazz today, maestro. If not, Barbone  
Street just released a CD and I'm swinging on it."

Cheers,
Steve Barbone
www.myspace.com/barbonestreetjazzband