[Dixielandjazz] DJML Facebook Page

[Ulf Jagfors]

Marek

 

Good answer from you. For a while I thought you were only capably of comment
on this list with “I don´t or I want.” Now we know that you can formulate
and explain your opinions in longer way. That makes me glad. I hope you
continue to do so also in the future. That might help people better
understand your points. 

 

If sarcasm is one way of waking up people, why not use it. What do you
propose as an alternative? Please? As you react on my sarcasm I see it as a
proof for a useable “weapon” (not the right word, I think). There are no war
here. We are struggling with a dying art form. The world around us run throw
dramatic changes in communication, information and way of relations. A guess
the average age of people, who still see our art form as the best ever
produced music, is around 70. I for myself is 73. Will traditional jazz
survive the next 15-20 years as a living art form? I have my strong doubts.

 

My provocative post, in which I have already express my apologies for, is a
small clumsy attempt to wake up at least a few people who still think that
the old crank up Vitrola is the best way of exposing OKOM music and plain
mail is the only feasible form of communication.

 

Old recordings were made in different ways with no specific standard. Many
recording companies did not use 78 rpm but perhaps 82 rpm or something else
when recording. Now, when playing those old recordings on today’s standard
players, with fixed 78 rpm, the tunes come out in a complete wrong key or
something between keys. You might see this as the charm with old recordings.
I don´t.  I find it extremely irritating to not be able to play along with
some IE Louis recordings without retuning the banjo a quarter or half tone
step. I have quite a number of CD´s were reissued 78 rpm recordings are
played in undefined keys.

 

I just would like to point out that the glorious world of perfect sound,
that some people think the shell lack era embraced, indeed had its speed
drawbacks, apart from distortion, hiss noise, clicks and limited frequency
register. Many of the surviving “masters” used for reissue are also in
pretty bad shapes. Digital MP3 files has its limitation also. No doubt. The
standard is 25 years old. There are better digital standards for hand today
like FLAC. I do not want to listen to professional recorded classical music
recordings in MP3 format in my Hi-Fi room. There I agree with you. Vinyl is
probably still the optimum media for that kind of music. But! Can you really
hear any difference of an original 1920 78 rpm recording and the same
converted to a MP3 file? Whatever all experts say, I doubt that very much.
But of course if you make the cleaning to an extreme it might be possible
that at least some of the dynamics in late1920-early 1930 electric
recordings can be affected. Under all circumstances I know that for most
people, that is the important case here, the MP3 files are more than
adequate for general listening. The 78rpm believers can keep the old Vitrola
greased for their own joy. Oh, Yes I have one bought by my late Uncle 1905.

 

As I said before age is a problem within the OKOM community. That led me to
remember one occasion that I experience in West Africa couple of years ago.
We were sitting around the fire in dark African night talking about music.
The Jola (eth grp in Senegambia) people sang and played the close relative
to the banjo, the Ekonting. I mention that because of my age I might stop
visiting them and run around in the 110F jungle full of bugs, mambas and
whatever. Their response were surprising and very educational for me. They
said; Ulf, here in Africa we consider age just as numbers! How right they
were. That is why I now at the age of 73 has bought me a Bb tuba, something
I have dreamed of for years. Will I ever be able to play with others? I
don´t know. But brain researcher claim strongly that age as such is no
limitation to learn new things, whatever it is to play the tuba or use
Facebook.

 

Ulf in Stockholm

 

 

 

Från: Marek Boym [mailto:marekboym at gmail.com] 
Skickat: den 24 januari 2014 21:35
Till: Ulf Jagfors
Kopia: Dixieland Jazz Mailing List
Ämne: Re: [Dixielandjazz] DJML Facebook Page

 

Sarcasm and riducule are often the weapon of people lacking better weapons.
which seems to be the case on hand.