[Dixielandjazz] FW: Dogfight? Indeed!!

[Dixiejazzdata]

The Fire House five and Spike Jones, and Louis Armstrong, were my sole influence in playing this kind of music, until I met and took
the Olympia Brass Band to tour in Europe in 1990.  I have never been excited about watching  the stare at the Floor kind of guys (BORING BORING) no matter how good they play, and that goes for the Modern Jazz guys as well.   In my opinion they simply Don't Swing no matter how many correct notes they play or how fast or slowly they play them.     As has been discussed again briefly on here this past week or so,  The audience for Jazz particularly Trad Jazz  used to be Dancers out having a good time not sitting around in stiff back chairs being scrutinized by self appointed critics, who eventually over time drove them away from attending Traditional Jazz events in droves.    Some of us band leaders have discovered how to get an audience back, and do not mind at all those that continue to bore them and  drive them away.   Makes all that many more good gigs for us to play.  Not to mention all the Great Fun we have entertaining them funny hats and all.  :))    There is No Such Thing as "TOO MUCH ENTERTAINMENT"

Entertainers make a good living, while musicians starve to death waiting to be discovered or worshiped for their musical ability and proficiency, a bit of both goes a lot further.     Now I agree that unless a band is really good at using jokes and banter in a timely manner they should avoid recording them on listening recordings.   However so many of these kind of recordings have actually come about from taping live performances and some taken off videos and turned into never before released recordings for sale from personal archives.   That is fine for collectors, but those kind of recordings should not in my opinion be released to the general public in mass production unless they are sooooo goood that they are timeless performances.

I like Live recordings personally because they do sell the band to the potential buyer and consumer as to what they are actually going to hear at a concert or other engagement.    If I were going to record this music for commercial releases to sell I would take it into the studio and record it live with out the show antics and jokes and audience interaction to appease the radio folks, and the musicians who would otherwise criticize it as corny and not musically good because of it.   I am not fond of over arranging songs, but prefer the loose improvisation spontaneity of the music.  I like my band to sound like a pack of Pit Bulls  :))   And thankfully so do our audiences.  :))
 
Cheers

Tom Wiggins

 

 

Subject: Re: [Dixielandjazz] FW: Dogfight? Indeed!!


I am one of those who complain about "too much entertainment."  The
FH5+2 was a good band, but often forwent music for clowning (ever
heard their "Kissing Blues," with a million kisses on record?). Even
in the example on hand (or shoud I have written "on ear?"), there is
unnecessary screaming.  That might be entertaining live, but is boring
at first, and then disturbing on record.
I have two 10" Lps - pretty good.  But the hour-long Music for
Pleasure reissue contains a fair number of tracks that render it
annoying; most unfortunate, as some of the others are wonderful.
Perhaps that's why non-American listmates like the band less than
Americans - we have not seen the Firemen in person, and judge solely
based on their musc, not nostalgia.
Cheers

On 31 May 2012 12:55, Shaw, Tim <Tim.Shaw at mh.org.au> wrote:
>
> They (FH5+2) were guilty of being "too entertaining", in some people's 
estimation.
> I think they were continuing the tradition of California being the warm, 
sunny,get- rich-quick, good time place it was at the turn of the (20th) century.
> - When there was neither reason nor demand for anything too bluesy or 
profound.
> I think they did a pretty good job, considering none was a professional 
musician.
> Lots of people bag Spike Jones city Slickers  for being corny and superficial 
too, but not many musos could match their musical skills.
> cheers
> tim
>
> ________________________________________
> From: dixielandjazz-bounces at ml.islandnet.com [dixielandjazz-bounces at ml.islandnet.com] 
On Behalf Of Jim Kashishian [jim at kashprod.com]
> Sent: 31 May 2012 18:12
> To: Shaw, Tim
> Cc: Dixieland Jazz Mailing List
> Subject: [Dixielandjazz] FW:  Dogfight?  Indeed!!
>
> Rick wrote:
> Here's a great dogfight example.
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=usxcoAV6kWY&feature=related
>
> .....without having mentioned that it was the Firehouse Five + 2.  Isn't it
> amazing how much flack these guys have drawn on djml over the years (too
> showy, funny hats, etc.)?  Just listen to that afterbeat!  How can you argue
> with that swing?
>
> Jim (love the FH5+2) Kash
>
>