[Dixielandjazz] Doom-sayer

[Marek Boym]

Dear Bob,



>
>
>
> What I've always known would happen, is happening now- at least in the
> USA. The remaining few players of live OKOM are rapidly aging, as are their
> audiences.


>From time to time US listmates send links to videos by young American OKOM
bands, such as Tuba Skinny.  This year a young American traditional band
led by E,ily Asher on trombone played here in Israel.  So even in the US
things are not as gloomy as you paint them.  OK, there are no young dyed in
the wool fans who'd subscribe to the Dixie Flyer, but there are  young
players and young audiences.  Perhaps not of the very mouldy variety, but
they still listen and dance to traditional jazz.  Our ex-listmate Steve
BArbone often plays for young audiences.  Swing dancers dance to OKOM even
in th US.




> I'm sure all of you in the USA know this. I think we must recognize that
> our kind of music has not caught on with the younger generations, and that
> we will see live hot jazz disappear into the sunset, probably within the
> next ten years.


As long as there are young players, and there are, there will be young
audiences, even if the world is no longer jazz crazy.  In ten years the
musicians I've mentioned will be in their thirties of forties, so you
haven't that much to worry about.


> I, for one, do not see this as a disaster, but only as our failure to have
> gotten our kids interested and for not providing opportunities for Black
> players to make a living.


Some players in the young American  bands are black.  On the other hand,
the revival was a white phenomenon; it might have provided work for blac
musicians, but did not attract black audiences.



>
>
> The President's column suggests that we could attract a new set of members
> by offering swing dancing - and conjectures that they might be converted to
> righteous music.
>
>
> Through 19 "Serenades for Mouldy Figges" (see my book, "The World in a
> Jug"), I have been trying make conversions. I assure you, it can't be done!


"Can't be done."   How do you know?  You have tried and failed, but don't
forget that the previous revival thrived on dancers.


 I don't see any hope of a 'revival' such as occurred in the 40s and 50s.



YOu may be right (I was too young the, anyway), but nobody saw it coming
before it occurred.


> SO my fellow Americans and Canadian friends, dust off your victrolas and
> retain your memories. I remember Greenwich Village and 52nd St. after the
> war, when there were over 10 venues that featured OKOM 6 nights a week from
> 9pm to 4am,


When I look at jazz in New York, there is much more OKOM there now than
there was in 1996, my last visit there.  Not necessarily the Yerba Buena
variety, but traditional nevertheless.


> with an equal number of Black and White musicians.  Those were the glory
> days!
>

You Americans are so colour conscious!

Age gracefully,
>

Gracefully?  How about the fun?  A good friend of mine, quite a few years
older, has just told me she was aging disgracefully and enjoying every
minute of it!  I'm with her (not physically - she lives in the south of
England), not with you.

Cheers

>
>
>
>
>
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