[Dixielandjazz] Food for the Band and Cleethorpes Jazz Festival

[Marek Boym]

>
>
> I can't be bothered with attempting to compartmentalise jazz according to
> vague stylistic definitions and I tend to think of jazz as being all the
> one music up to the point where rock and ethnic rhythms started to supplant
> swinging time and Coltrane started to alter the basis of improvisation, so
> I tend to think of all the swinging stuff as belonging to the broad
> mainstream of jazz.
>

Since  Guy Lombardo often had swing, as did most of the sweet bands, that
would qualify all that saccharine stuff as jazz.  I don't compartmentalise
jazz either, but simply do not consider a lot of what is classified as such
"jazz."  After all, you know what they say of meat, poison, and the like.

>
> The bill at Cleethorpes had, among others, Scots-born, London-based
> guitarist Jim Mullen, whose primary influence was Wes Montgomery, although
> he's very much his own man playing in a similar hard-hitting vein as
> Montgomery. Great swinging jazz that defies categorisation and makes me
> feel good. There were two English singers who are truly world-class:
> Claire Martin and Tina May, both tasteful, accurate, swinging and inventive
> interpreters of great songs working with fine swinging rhythm sections. An
> afternoon concert featured the Wigan Youth Jazz Orchestra, a multi
> award-winning band of great youngsters whose repertoire covers big band
> music from the 1930s to '90s. Throughout the weekend David Newton
> (piano), Alan Barnes (reeds) and Dave Green (bass), genuine world-class,
> hard swinging players who cover a wide range of jazz idioms with class
> worked with various soloists and singers
>

I agree with regards to the last two.  Not necessarily the former.





> and the music of such as Benny Golson, Horace Silver, Art Blakey etc,
>

Is it jazz?  A good question, which may have no answer.


> so the programme had variety and quality and it all swung hard. No banjos
> or tubas or funny hats or silly uniforms - just swinging jazz played well,
> so I'll settle for that.
>

As I've said - one man's meat...

Cheers

>
>
>
> ---- Original Message -----
>
> *From:* Marek Boym <marekboym at gmail.com>
> *To:* Ken Mathieson <ken at kenmath.free-online.co.uk>
> *Cc:* Dixieland Jazz Mailing List <dixielandjazz at ml.islandnet.com>
> *Sent:* Wednesday, July 03, 2013 3:38 PM
> *Subject:* Re: Food for the Band and Cleethorpes Jazz Festival
>
>   I wonder.
> It did occur to me that Ken might have been in jest - oh, well, perhaps I
> am too bloody serious about food and drink!
> As to the festival - so there was Benny Carter's music, and perhaps
> another act of interst; what then?  "Mainstream" is such a wide term!  So
> wide as to be meaningless.  Not to mention that to REAL mouldy fygges Benny
> Carter music might no appeal (it usually does to me).
> Cheers
>
>
> On 3 July 2013 14:11, Ken Mathieson <ken at kenmath.free-online.co.uk> wrote:
>
>> **
>> Hi Marek:
>>
>> I think you should lay off the extra-strong beers and get out a bit more!
>> Ken Yates was having a laugh and I was describing a festival whose content
>> may not have been to an ultra-mouldy fig's taste (no banjos or tubas), but
>> was solidly in the jazz mainstream (no squeaky-bonk stuff either). And
>> what's not to like about Benny Carter's music, whether you're a fig or not?
>>
>> Regards to all,
>>
>> Ken Mathieson
>>
>
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