[Dixielandjazz] Sweet Georgia Brown

[Ken Mathieson]

Pat Ladd wrote:

I was talking to the drummer in a very highly skilled but modernish quartet 
recently. When I said that I played dixieland drums he said `I can`t play 
that stuff I like it and I have tried but there is so much background, 
clich?s and accepted riffs that I am not aware of.` this from a guy who had 
produced some beautiful breaks.

Hi Pat,
If you bump into that drummer again, point him at recordings by Big Sid Catlett with the Louis Armstrong All-Stars (Symphony Hall, 1947 for instance) for a masterclass in how to play jazz drums in a way that transcends styles. Once he's absorbed Catlett's approach and especially his time feel, he might come to the conclusion, as I did, that jazz is essentially the one music and that the crucial ingredient which distinguishes styles is largely rhythmic. As long as it swings, I'm happy with any style. With Catlett positioned right on the transition from Swing to Bebop, he is the ideal figure for a drummer to investigate regardless of whether he is a modernist wanting to learn about earlier styles or vice versa. Max Roach, talking about his generation of young drummers, described Catlett as "The Bridge and we all crossed over on him."
 
I thought the Marsalis et al version of SGB was a fine example of jazz as a single music, and it certainly swung mightily. 

Ken Mathieson

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