[Dixielandjazz] Sweet Georgia Brown

[Ken Mathieson]

John Petters wrote:

> I've just watched this video and to me it didn't work. Like most of the
> other folk who commented, I found the guitar and violin were superb, but
> the drummer was getting in the way.

Well, the drummer (Ali Jackson?) didn't play at all behind the violin and 
guitar in the opening section, so he wasn't getting in their way. When the 
horns entered, he played entirely in their idiom without being obtrusive, 
which is surely the drummer's role whatever style of jazz is being played. 
On the out-chorus he played time quietly behind the violin and guitar 
without intruding on them. Job done, I say!
>
>The drum solo seemed to start off promising
> but lost its way and sounded decidedly uncomfortable.

The drummer did have a wobble in his 3rd chorus - you can see it in his 
expression (I suspect he had an unintenional fresh-air shot when playing on 
the hi-hat), but he quickly recovered and it was over in a flash. It's 
happened to everyone at some time. Recovering quickly and disguising any 
mistake is part of the craft on all instruments.
>
> I don't see Sid as anything other than a swing drummer.

I'd disagree on that: His playing changed throughout his life, as you'd 
expect from a creative, musical player. When it was needed, as on some of 
the sessions with Bechet, he could go back to his roots and play very 
convincingly in an older idiom. He was also very interested in what the 
younger drummers were doing and was able to play their music without being a 
fish out of water. It's that business of playing in the idiom again.

> I would always point a would be traditional Jazz drummer towards Baby 
> Dodds, Zutty, Ray >Bauduc and Tony Sbarbaro, then Wettling Tough and 
> Krupa.
>
That depends a bit on how much the would-be drummer has heard of the older 
styles and how far back he wants to go. Young drummers today generally 
haven't had much exposure to jazz in their formative stages, let alone the 
older styles of jazz. If I've got a pupil who shows an interest in the 
history of jazz drumming, I'll point him at Catlett, as Sid's playing 
methods and kit are still recognisable today, so it's not a huge step 
backwards for the pupil to assimilate. If he/she wants to become an early 
jazz specialist (it's never happened so far), then I'd introduce Zutty, Baby 
etc

> I don't see jazz as a single music and I didn't think that the Marsalis
> SGB swung mightily. I was left longing for Big Sid or Jo Jones, who
> would have caused it to do just that.
>
We'll have to agree to disagree on that.

Cheers,
Ken Mathieson