[Dixielandjazz] New Black Eagles to celebrate 40th Anniversary-- Lew Shaw

[Norman Vickers]

To:  DJML and Musicians and Jazzfans lists

From: Norman Vickers, Jazz Society of Pensacola

 

Jazz Journalist Lew Shaw of Scottsdale, AZ  kindly sends us an advance copy
of article about New Black Eagles which will appear in upcoming issue of
American Rag.

Thanks, Lew.

 

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New Black Eagles Celebrate 40th Anniversary

by Lew Shaw

 

Come September, the New Black Eagle Jazz Band, acclaimed by many as one of
the finest New Orleans-style bands playing today, will celebrate its 40th
anniversary. One of the things that is noteworthy about the Eagles is the
longevity of its personnel with five of the original members still on board.
Tony Pringle (cornet), Peter Bullis (banjo). Stan Vincent (trombone) and Pam
Pameijer (drums) were members of the Black Eagle Jazz Band formed by
clarinetist Tommy Sancton in the late 1960s. Bob Pilsbury (piano) signed on
when the NEW Black Eagles played its first gig aboard the Peter Stuyvesant,
a retired steamship docked in Boston Harbor in September 1971.

 

What is special about a Black Eagles performance is how the players'
personalities and stylistic orientation to one another and to the audience
develops a strong relationship and feeling as they present generally obscure
tunes from the early 20th Century in a fresh and contemporary manner. As
tight as the band is, and as proficient as the individual musicians are,
Tony Pringle's horn dominates, and his style is most responsible for the
band's sound.

 

Roughly half of the band's performances in any given year are in a concert
setting, and they have five tunes scored to play with a symphony orchestra.
The band's repertoire of over 650 tunes covers a wide range from early New
Orleans, rags, blues and spirituals to 1920s Chicago-style, small band jazz
of the 30s, the Dixieland revival of the 40s and 50s, and original numbers
written by Tony, Bob or Billy. They have made more than 60 recordings.
During their most active years, they were able to accept only half of the
250 booking requests they received. That number is now down to around 80 a
year. 

 

Tex Wyndham pointed out that "When the New Black Eagle Jazz Band burst on
the scene, no other band sounded like them, and their material and style
became known as 'the Black Eagle Sound.' They have demonstrated that the
best jazz is receptive to a broad range of musical ideas, and they have been
able to blend those ideas into something truly special."

 

According to musical director Pringle, "We refuse to slavishly copy earlier
jazz performances note-for-note, but are always aware of the legacy and
influence of such legendary New Orleans musicians as George Lewis, Kid Ory,
Paul Barbarin, Sidney Bechet and of course, the Preservation Hall Jazz Band.
We also have a good selection of Ellington and ragtime tunes to spice the
pot, so to speak. We have a great sense of dynamics and ensemble interplay,
with heavy emphasis on group improvisation."

 

Butch Thompson gave his slant, saying, "The band defies classification in
any of the normal ways. It is its own kind of repertory company, borrowing
freely from every aspect of the classic jazz tradition and preserving the
spirit of the music by presenting it in the most non-dogmatic, unformulated
way possible." 

 

In Stan Vincent's opinion, "We decided early on that we'd be honest about
our music, and damn the consequences. We could afford to do that because we
all had daytime jobs." Obviously whatever they are doing has worked because
one critic touted the Eagles as "the world's best traditional jazz band and
probably the world's most successful band of moonlighting professionals."

 

Asked for the reasons for the stability of the band lineup, Peter Bullis,
who serves as business manager for the group, attributed it to "meticulous
attention to detail and an all-consuming dedication and desire to play
authentic jazz by every member of the band." Reflecting on how seven strong
personalities have achieved compatibility over four decades, he said "It's
not unlike a marriage. You have to work at it. We like and respect each
other. We have a band meeting once a month. If we don't solve all the
problems, at least we know what they are."

 

Some 20 years ago, the late New York Times jazz critic John S. Wilson wrote,
"If you're wondering how seven men with full-time, demanding daytime
commitments can summon up both the time and the energy to do this year after
year, they can point to an example that has been set for them. Their example
is the New Orleans musicians from whom so much of their musical inspiration
comes - musicians who had day jobs as bricklayers, plasterers and dock
workers who did a full day's work and then found joy in their horns at
night."

 

(For an expanded version of this story, refer to the June 2011 edition of
THE AMERICAN RAG)