[Dixielandjazz] Showmanship

[Stephen G Barbone]

On Sep 11, 2011, at 4:33 AM, dixielandjazz-request at ml.islandnet.com  
wrote:

> Marek Boym <marekboym at gmail.com>
>
>> barbone wrote:
>> IMO, the music was never enough, and never will be. Except for a  
>> few artsy
>> fartsy elitists and they don't pay the bills.
>
> Wasn't it just what I said?  Which does not mean I must LIKE it (I
> still don't).  But things I understand at 70 were not things I could
> understand at 18!

No, that's not what you said at all. You said you didn't listen to  
Trummy Young because he was too involved with showmanship.

Then you avoid discussing why, on the other hand, you enjoyed  
listening to Louis Armstrong even though he was twice the showman  
Young was.

You might be better off sitting in a room by yourself and listening to  
records if you are going to be so inconsistently judgmental about what  
you see in live performance.

Or perhaps at 70, you now realize that musicians do not perform  
specifically for YOU, or any other individual, Therefore YOUR negative  
opinion about them is inconsequential and of absolutely no value.

Here is a repeat of the sign above West Chester PA, USA,  artist Tom  
Bostelle's studio door, which IMO is what most, if not all, all secure  
jazz musicians (substitute "listen" for "look around") will tell you:

All ye who enter
You are welcome to look around
But please spare me comments about my work
I  need neither your plaudits nor criticism
For I know what I am doing
And I am not doing it specifically for you.

Cheers,
Steve Barbone
www.myspace.com/barbonestreetjazzband