[Dixielandjazz] Trad Jazz

[Marek Boym]

> Oh dear, Marek!
> What are you not hearing in the Colyer band with Bowden, Duncan & Wheeler?

Soul?  Free wheeling?  It's difficult to put one's finger on it.  The
band just sounds as if it were holding back rather than letting itself
go.
>
> This was the closet British musicians got to NO Jazz at the time. Much of
> the success was due to Colin Bowden's powerful Baby Dodds influenced
> drumming.

A wonderful drummer, Colin Bowden, but he has devekoped since then.
Or perhaps the band was trying to sound "New Orleans" so hard as to be
afraid to take freedoms and make mistakes.  Something that often
happens to bands playing tribute to Ellington.  While they sound good
in general, they seem to be awed and try not to change anything when
playing the Duke (this by no means applies to all bands and
musicians).
>
> As for the line up with Chris Barber, this to me has always sounded like
> jazz with the jazz taken out. It rhythmically goes nowhere.

A matter of opinion.  But the first recordings with Colyer sound good to me.
>
> I have to admire Chris for what he has achieved, but to me the weakness of
> his 50s bands was in the rhythm section.

As was the matter with most British bands, even Humph's.
>
> Humph had it - but in a different way to Colyer and the 59 / 60 Acker Bilk
> band with the great Ron McKay on drums swung like the clappers. Cy Laurie
> and Sandy Brown were not trad bands either. Most of the rest were (excluding
> Welsh and Freddy Randall).

And Mick Mulligan's, whose band had no banjo for quite a while.
>
> British trad spawned Euro Trad which was one more step removed from the
> source.

Is it wrong to be "removed from the source?"  I don't think so.
Actually, I am quite happy to hear musicians whose influences include
Barber, Colyer, etc.  Unless you want to copy, you must go your own
way.  And I do not mean going avant garde.

Cheers
>