[Dixielandjazz] Small Band Swing or Dixieland?

[Stephen G Barbone]

> Joe Carbery <joe.carbery at gmail.com>
>
> Why bring ethnicity into it? Does a note care what colour of person  
> blows or
> sings it?
>
> Regards,

Dear Joe:

Because there should be volumes written about the kind of music I  
posted. And the bands who played it. It was a part of the social as  
well as the musical scene in New York City.

Unfortunately not many folks know about it, except the few of us who  
were there at the time to see history. Those on the left coast might  
ask Conrad Janis about the number and competence of black musician s  
who switched to Dixieland when the big bands folded. And about those  
blacks who played in his band.

We often hear that there were no black Dixieland bands during the  
1950s and 1960s. That they switched to bop.  both Conrad and I will  
tell you that there were quite a few black dixieland bands and  
musicians in New York City where we were playing at the time. Like the  
one fronted by James P Johnson.

You are right, notes do not care what color the musician is, but  
history should accurate reflect the social aspects at the time the  
music was played. And we should ask ourselves why black bands were  
mostly categorized as small band swing while white bands were  
categorized as Dixieland when they both played essentially in the same  
style with similar instrumentation. Why, for example does "Dixieland"  
seem to mean "White Bands".

That's why ethnicity was brought up. One cannot accurately describe  
Dixieland jazz without giving credit where credit is due, and in this  
case, credit is due BLACK MUSICIANS.

For further discussion of Small Band Swing v Dixieland, I suggest  
those who have it, read the chapter on "Dixieland" in Richard  
Sudhalter's book, Lost Chords.

Cheers,
Steve Barbone
www.myspace.com/barbonestreetjazzband