[Dixielandjazz] Ellington Worthless?

[Stephen G Barbone]

> Marek Boym <marekboym at gmail.com> wrote
>
> Hello Steve,
> You have not replied to Joe.

Hello Marek:

No, I was  trying to avoid responding to a question that did not make  
any sense. But since you insist, Teagarden said, according to Joe,  
that T did not like anything Ellington ever did. Therefore did that  
make him a fool?

In response perhaps to my comment that anyone who thinks Ellington is  
worthless is a damn fool.

Since T did not say Ellington was worthless, but merely stated his  
opinion that he did not like what the man did, that obviously does not  
make him a fool. The two statements, T's and mine are different and  
cannot therefore be logically connected.

Had T said that Ellington was worthless, then yes, he would be a damn  
fool.

Hope that clears it up for you.

Regarding T's concerns about the blend of Ellington's Bands it may  
well be, as Bert inferred, T's ears were not yet ready for the unusual  
voicings and advanced harmonics that Ellington was using.

Regarding Blesh, the man's written works speak for themselves. As  
Steve Voce said, you'll go blind if you read him. (and keep putting a  
lot of faith in his critiques)  Mentally blind, that is, regarding  
what jazz is or is not.

Better you should read the 3 articles Ellington authored in Downbeat  
during 1939 (February, April and July) about swing music and its  
critics.
Or Ellington's defense of his music in the Glascow Sunday Post July  
1933, or the numerous articles and interviews he wrote/gave about what  
it is he was doing.

To me, the greatest problem fans have in talking about the music is  
that they read what others, like Blesh (or Hammond, or Feather et al)  
write about a musician like Ellington, but do not read what Ellington  
wrote about Ellington.

Regarding those early works of Ellington that you mention, they do not  
compare to his work after 1932. Plus, Creole Love Call was a steal,  
not original.

Cheers,
Steve Barbone
www.myspace.com/barbonestreetjazzband