[Dixielandjazz] Dogfights & Finger Signals

[Eric Holroyd]

If I didn’t know the approximate age group of some of the combatants in this
tag team wrestling match I could be forgiven for thinking that I’d stumbled
upon a kindergarten forum!

The dogfight saga has gone beyond beyond childish and puerile, and would be
better now described as dogshit.

Scott Anthony pointed us toward these links:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8xn_3T4vbtE

At about 1:00 and 3:09 in "That's A'Plenty" in the following clip:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QZ8t1UpIJ-Y

I've played those nominated parts many hundreds of times in my jazz career, 
and have always referred to them as 'the bridge'.

Scott does say though, that they don't fit previous descriptions of 
'dogfight' - which is a term I'd never come across until this week's Battle 
Royal dredged it up.

As far as finger signals for key changes I learned at age 16 in my first 
professional gig that fingers down is for flat keys and fingers up is for 
sharp keys.

When I re-located to Australia in the late 1960s, and got into the jazz 
business here in the mid 1970s, I soon found that the same hand signals 
applied here.

Indeed, when calling a keychange to G, I used middle finger right hand 
pointing upwards to signal the key.

I offer that same signal to all who perpetuate these current topics.

Finally, Spike Milligan, when writing those wonderful Goon Show scripts more 
than fifty years ago, created a character called Adolphus Spriggs - who he 
described as being a non-playing musician.

Could Mr Spriggs have somehow infiltrated the DJML and be using someone 
else's name I wonder?

Eric Holroyd
Sydney, Australia