[Dixielandjazz] Here's an even better job offer

[Marek Boym]

Hi,
It's been a long time since the Duke's passing.  In the meantime, the
number of loyal followers and people who heard the Duke has dwindled.
New audiences stand a better chance of exposure to Dixieland (busking
bands, swing dances) than to Ellington.  Too bad, but that's the way
it is.  It is up to the media and the schools to expose young people
to Duke's music.  And, unlike Dixieland, no "Ellingtonian" band can
really represent Ellington's music properly.  The British "Echoes of
Ellington" do an excellent job, but it's not Duke.  Most bands I've
heard sounded too owed to take any chances, so their music sounded
rather bland.  I've obtained recordings by some of my favourite
musicians, only to find out that they sounded much better playing
other stuff.  The Ellington "spirit" (and don't ask me to define it -
I can't) is missing.

Cheers
On 16 May 2011 20:01, Stan Brager <sbrager at verizon.net> wrote:
> I fully agree with you, Bert. You present the reasons why so many of the
> "Dixieland" jazz festivals are changing their mix of musical styles and even
> their names. The reality is that the market has changed or, rather, evolved
> away from the music to which many of us danced or enjoyed in our earlier
> days. The niche it now populates grows ever smaller.
>
> As a board member of the local Duke Ellington Society in Southern
> California, our membership has fallen quite low and most other Duke
> Ellington Societies have reported the same.
>