[Dixielandjazz] Leonard Feather

[Stephen G Barbone]

> Marek Boym <marekboym at gmail.com> wrote:
>
> I have read Feather's "Jazz Years."  On the cover, the saxophonist and
> bandleader John Dankworth is quoted calling Feather "The writer who
> has made the most significant contribution to the world of jazz."
>
> The book is interesting, albeit rather controversial.  I rather tend
> towards Muggsy Spanier's "tribute" to Feather  - "The Feather Brain
> Blues."
>
> Feather might - or not - have tried "to make "T" look stupid," but he
> also recorded three JT sessions in the '50's.  Likewise, he stated
> that "the several ancounters with Louis Armstrong and Jack Teagarden,
> SEPARATELY AND TOGETHER (emphasis added), were  the most meaningful of
> my entire RCA Victor association.  Hardly an indication of underrating
> JT.  Still, a rather mediocre pianist that he was, he claimed to be
> able to outplay Art Hodes with one hand tied behind his back (or
> something to that effect).
>
> I guess he must have been a complex person.  In his book he has a
> whole chapter about (and against) gender discrimination, yet he wrote
> "Just Another Woman" (a rather mediocrequality blues).  He played on
> some quite good swing sessions in the UK in the 1930's.
>
> According to Feather, Buck Clayton was among the signatories of a
> letter to DAvid Smart of "Esquire," in which they refused to cooperate
> with the magazine"as long as the present unfair set-up continues;" one
> of their complaints was that Eddie Condon's personal manager edited
> the "Esquire Jazz Book."  Well, it this was true, at least Condon was
> not vindictive - he hired Clayton when the latter needed work.
>
> The Jim Beebe article is very interesting.  Still, I believe that both
> the claims of his daughter that Feather "was ... a champion of the
> music he had fallen in love with as a young Englishman" and the
> complaints about his attitude (he was at least abetted by his
> companions in the "Three Deuces") are true, even if somewhat difficult
> to reconcile, and the claim that "his hate of jazz was well known"
> (quoting from memory) was rather exaggerated.

Dear Marek:

It is always interesting to balance  books by writers and critics,  
with memories of musicians who were there at the time. That's one  
reason I enjoyed Jim Beebe's postings about musical life, and Leonard  
Feather, Miles Davis, et al.. Based on my limited musical experiences  
during the 40s, 50s, and 60s, I will say that I agree with Jim. I also  
think most musicians saw through Leonard Feather.

I too had spoken with Miles about several aspects of music and can  
verify that Miles was generally disgusted with critics and felt they  
"manufactured" the supposed friction between modern and trad jazz  
musicians. And the fans helped perpetuate that myth by taking  
sentences out of context, like: "Armstrong says bop is Chinese Music".  
Or Dizzy says "Armstrong is old fashioned" OK, they were uttered as  
published, but were said in the heat of battle to critics who were  
propvoking the battle. There was little friction among the musicians.  
For example:

Armstrong and Gillespie lived within a few blocks of each other in  
Corona, Queens County, NYC. (Not too far from where I lived at the  
time) And often visited together as friends when schedules permitted.

Charlie Shavers led a Dixieland Band at the metropole with Tony  
Parenti and Big Chief Russell Moore. One night he couldn't make it and  
sent Dizzy Gillespie as a sub. Parenti and Moore loved it as did Dizzy.

Etc., etc., etc.

And there was always the myth that Miles hated white people. Spread  
mostly by the press and folks who didn't know Miles. Absolutely false.  
As is the myth that he hated Dixieland. Folks forget that Miles said  
on numerous occasions words to the effect that: "No Louis, no Miles."

Another example is a short conversation I had  with Horace Silver  
circa 1959 at the Cork & Bib in Westbury Long Island.  I asked him  
about his influences and his first response was Art Hodes, and almost  
echoing the above Miles/Armstrong words with: "No Hodes, no Horace  
Silver".

Point being book reading is fine, but like all of the written word,  
should be taken with a grain of salt. The author usually has an agenda  
that slants what he/she writes. Unfortunately that seems to be  
especially true of music critics. Many of them already have a  
predisposition before they write a critique. And so they pick apart  
the music to suit their own prejudices.

Rare indeed, is the critic who can approach a piece of music, or a  
book, with an open mind. And so, when Feather did his best to evoke  
musical criticism by one musician about another,. he did his best to  
do so by stacking the deck. His 3rd Blindfold test with Miles is a  
classic in that regard. It certainly verifies the Beebe claim that  
Feather played the worst recorded examples he could find in the belief  
that it would generate controversy and controversy is what sells   
newspapers and magazines. His 3rd Miles blindfold test is a classic  
example For a treat, see the below website, being sure to read  
Feather's disclaimers at the top:

http://www.forghieri.net/jazz/blind/Davis_3.html

Reading Miles' comments, if taken out of context, they would have you  
believe he hated Ellington, hated Clark Terry etc.

Cheers,
Steve Barbone
www.myspace.com/barbonestreetjazzband

PS: For kicks read the 2nd blindfold test of Miles at:

http://www.forghieri.net/jazz/blind/Davis_2.html

Note what he says about Condon et al., and then Bobby Hackett el al.