[Dixielandjazz] Swing. Obscure ofshoot of jazz

[Pat Ladd]

Hi
In spite of the this foolish comment on the BBC, the programme itself was 
pretty good.
Comments by various old jazzers, Ray Anthony, and a very lively lady who was 
one of the original Lindy Hop dance team were all of course personal 
viewpoints.
The clips of bands were as usual all too short but the development from 
Louis, Bix, Whiteman, Fletcher Henderson, Goodman, Dorsey, Basie,Ellington 
was tied together in some sort of chronological progression.Singers were 
looked down on as abit of an encumbrance but this changed with the 
emergence of star singers with their own following, fan clubs etc. Sinatra 
as a case in point employing a band to back himself whereas he had been 
employed as a band member.
Then the collapse of the Big Band for economic reasons. A nice juxtaposition 
of Peggy Lee singing `Why don`t you do right` with a Big Band and then 
recording it again ten years later with bass drums and guitar..
No two people are going to agree on the `Story of jazz, swing, bop,rock and 
roll` but as far as it went it was very entertaining.

Pat