[Dixielandjazz] Dogfight

[Jack Mitchell]

Stephen wrote:
" I was referring to the usual story that
> in the US jazz developed from those sources and coalesced into jazz  about 
> 1917 with a bunch of US jazz bands forming."

Stephen, "usual story" makes it sound that you don't fully agree with it, 
yet it is supported by Jack Stewart's article.

>
>" I don't think there were too many bands in OZ and the UK that were 
>playing jazz say from 1917 to 1925. I could be wrong and you will know 
>better than I if I am."

There were indeed jazz bands playing in Australia in those years, not "too 
many" as our population then was less than 5 million, scattered around a 
large country, although both Sydney and Melbourne has about 1,000.000 
inhabitants. A number of the locals were more than capable of taking their 
places in the visiting American bands when vacancies occurred.

"but I am of the opinion that jazz bands overseas
> were copies of jazz bands in the USA after we invented the genre."

Nobody could argue with that opinion Steve, our early jazzers learned from 
visiting American bands and of course from gramophone records, as did many 
of America's early bands that didn't have the wherewithall or the 
opportunity to hear the ODJB or the OM5 in the flesh. (Londoners did 
though). And it was only after 1925 that the great records by Louis, Bix, 
JRM and so on were made. In fact learning from records has great advantages 
as you would be hearing the best jazz artists in most cases.

Best wishes
Jack