[Dixielandjazz] Worthless Ellington

[Stephen G Barbone]

On Jul 13, 2011, at 3:55 PM, Marek Boym wrote:

>>
>>
>>
>>> Bill Haesler <bhaesler at bigpond.net.au> wrote
>>
>>> Marek Boym, in answer to Steve Barbone, wrote [in part]:
>>>>
>>>> .........Of course, the "mouldy figs" consider anything after the
>>>> Washingtonians worseless.
>>>
>>> Dear Marek,
>>> Not this little mouldy old fig.
>>> *>)
>>
>> Amen Bill. IMO anyone who would consider Ellington "worthless" is a  
>> damn
>> fool.
> I agree.
> Nevertheless, this was often the case.  Rudi Blesh went even farther
> and said: "as for jazz, the Duke has never played it." (p. 281 of the
> "fourth edition, enlarged, February 1958, printed in England by
> Cassell & Company Limited).
> BTW, sorry for the typo.

Duke Ellington may have agreed with Rudi Blesh, or vice versa. He said  
on many occasions that he did not write jazz but rather Negro Music.  
Even so, he was crowned "King of Jazz" by a Pittsburgh newspaper in  
1931 having received more than 50,000 votes in a nationwide poll in  
1931.

As for Blesh, his bios always seem to begin with:

"A supporter and propagandist for New Orleans jazz and ragtime, Rudi  
Blesh made an impact on the world of trad jazz."

Cor, he was more one eyed than our mate Bill Haesler. <grin>

Nuff said.

Cheers,
Steve Barbone
www.myspace.com/barbonestreetjazzband