[Dixielandjazz] Labeling Evan Christopher

[Donald Mopsick]

Someone wrote:

"Reading about a musician does not tell one much about his playing.
For that one must listen.  You have claimed listening only to
modernists.  Since Evan is a traditionalist, that would exclude him.
Or do you contradict yourself for the heck of it."

I had the pleasure of working with Evan last weekend in San Antonio
and Waco with the Jim Cullum Jazz Band. Yes, Evan is very interested
in pre-1940 Albert System styles of clarinetists such as Edmond Hall,
Barney Bigard, etc. but did you also know that he possesses one of the
biggest alto saxophone sounds on this planet? I mean a big-air,
hard-reed sound very much like Charlie Parker. Also, last weekend Evan
admitted that he is working on channeling Kenny Davern, which he also
does very well. I would not apply the "traditionalist" label to Davern
or Evan any more than I would call moussaka "hamburger and mashed
potatoes." Labels can sometimes be very useful in music as in cuisine,
but when they obscure reality it's better to drop them altogether.

As for me, I spent 19 years playing, recording, producing for Jim
Cullum and Riverwalk Jazz (and still do as you can see above), but in
Florida I enjoy playing very modern post-bop jazz on 3 separate steady
gigs with 2 very fine electric guitarists and a piano player very much
influenced by Bill Evans, McCoy Tyner, and Antonio Carlos Jobim.
Recently I played concerts in FL with Dick Hyman and the young swing
violinist Aaron Weinstein.  A reviewer for the Weinstein concert
referred to me as "the very flexible Don Mopsick."

And a word about Dick Hyman: you know about his interpretations of
James P. Johnson, Art Tatum, Teddy Wilson, Bix, Boogie Woogie, Fats
Waller, Willie The Lion, but if you watch this video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Clp9AeBdgL0

you will hear a rather Shearing-esque Dick Hyman playing "Hot House"
with Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie. I have backed up Mr. Hyman on
Jelly Roll Morton's "Grandpa's Spells" and a Shearing-esque version of
"I'll Remember April" with vibist Peter Appleyard. The one thing that
"flexible" musicians like this have in common is a authentic passion
for many different kinds of music. For me the common denominator is
the swing feeling: without it, it don't mean a thing. I would hope to
be thought of as 'beyond category."

Love You Madly,

Dukey Mopo

-- 
http://about.me/donmopsick