[Dixielandjazz] Dixielandjazz Digest, Vol 95, Issue 28

[Gluetje1 at aol.com]

Norman, Thanks for some tips on understanding my own ears better.  I  
definitely enjoy well played classical music, love hearing a good symphony live,  
smaller ensembles, etc.  I enjoy fiddling in country, mountain music,  
Western Swing.
 
But I've not been able to find fiddle/violin pleasant with typical jazz  
ensemble, indeed not even, Grappelli.  It's nice to feel a bit validated by  
your discussions of tonal issues because I always put the onus on me when  
someone was waxing eloquent about such as Grappelli, and I'm  instead feeling 
in near pain.
 
So guess, I have to be empathic when someone else feels that way about my  
banjo or Brodsky carries on about saxophones  in "World in a  Jug", etc.
 
Ginny
 
 
In a message dated 11/28/2010 11:35:27 A.M. Central Standard Time,  
anichols at gis.net writes:

Steve,
Thanks for sending along Jonathan's youtube,  and what ambition to
transcribe the Grappelli arrangements. A curse, I'll  admit, but I find it
hard to listen too long to Jonathan and his occasional  faulty intonation.
Probably a curse from Grappelli who was so precise where  he landed on the
fingerboard. Still young, I hope Jonathan practices his  scales.

Another Grappelli observation and why I think he  ended up playing with
non brass small ensembles: the keys he played in  mostly were fiddle
friendly keys: Stardust in C; Blue Moon in D; As Time  Goes By in D; After
You've Gone in G; Out Of Nowhere in G; How High The  Moon in G; Ain't
Misbehaivin in D, etc. Friendly keys aside, I think  there's a clash of
sonorities listening to polyphony between a trumpet and  a fiddle playing
jazz.

I played fiddle with a trad jazz band  for a couple of years and excused
myself from their good front line.  Besides lacking a certain technical
proficiency, I was feeling that clash.  And say what one might, instrument
friendly keys make music so much easier  to play.

Norman Nichols
BPOLR (Banjo Player of Last  Resort)