[Dixielandjazz] Louis Armstrong Quotes was solos

[Stephen G Barbone]

You missed the subtle point Marek.

The point is that quotes taken out of context and presented by  
themselves to try and prove a point of view usually are meaningless.

Armstrong's "too many notes too fast"  quote, taken as a blanket  
criticism of bop, would apply also to himself since it was who he  
moved the usual quarter note solos or breaks up into eighth notes,  
thus playing twice as fast as his peers. This while also changing the  
rhythmic pulse of jazz.

Perhaps his most stunning contribution to jazz was his re-invention of  
the concept of time. Besides moving it from quarter notes to eighth  
notes, he shifted rhythms by slowing his playing down behind the beat,  
then speeding up ahead of the beat, etc.

Sounds suspiciously like what the be-boppers did as they moved towards  
16th notes and rhythmic surprises. They simply continued along his  
pathway  of innovation, while we Dixielanders stood still.

Cheers,
Steve Barbone
www.myspace.com/barbonestreetjazzband


On Jun 16, 2010, at 10:56 AM, Marek Boym wrote:
> <barbonestreet at earthlink.net> wrote:
>>>  Marek Boym <marekboym at gmail.com> said (polite snip)
>>>
>>> Perhaps I should have pointed out thet "too many notes, too fast"  
>>> was
>>> Louis Armstrong's description of bebop.
>>
>>
>> Then again, Louis also said  "Never play a thing the same way twice"
>> Advice which he cheerfully ignored as he progressed. <grin>
>
>
> Not that there is much connection betwen the two.  Whatever he played,
> he hardly ever (probably never, but who knows) played too many notes
> too fast.
> As to the latter: it is true, but - somehow, if you listen to two
> performance of the same number, they tend to sound somewhat different.
> Or perhaps it's just my ears?