[Dixielandjazz] Doom-sayer

Sun Mar 9 09:49:10 PDT 2014

there's a wonderfully apropos infographic on this page that illustrates how
'classical music' has been dying for nearly 700 years :)

http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/culture/2014/01/stop-trying-to-kill-classical-music.html

On Sun, Mar 9, 2014 at 12:01 PM, Roy Taylor <budtuba at gmail.com> wrote:

> I have been listening to another ideom of past music on the public radio
> Saturday mornings. This a show called Folk Alley.  The performances have
> been recently recorded at festivals thoughout America and feature some
> really talented young people.  I also noticed one other main thing:  most
> of the music is NOT the traditional folk music we grew up with and
> resurrected by the likes of Bob Dillon, Arlo Guthrie, the Weavers, and the
> Kingston Trio (to name a few), but they write their own music and none of
> it is familiar to me.  It is beautiful, but I miss the old folk songs.
>
> Dixieland has not had the same resurgence of style with new music being
> written and to some degree is hampered by the copyright laws being enforced
> by ASCAP.  The 75 year conversion to public domain stalled out (as I
> understand it) with tunes written before 1923.  Consequently, there is a
> least one additional expense to be paid on public gigs that gain any
> significant publicity to draw a crowd.  Yet this is the music that pleases
> us and our followers for it reminds us the fun days now past.  New
> musicians capable of learning dixieland are no longer being exposed to the
> old songs unless the remaining veteran musicians recruit them and teach the
> style.  There is a handful of excellent musicians who reach the airways and
> stages, but not the groundswell that I experienced as a youth in the 1960s
> and 70s.
>
> I would not say a new resurgence is impossible for the early recordings are
> available in much higher sound fidelity that we learned from, and music
> schools like the Eastman School teach the underlying music theory and do
> pay homage to The Great American Songbook. However, music students must be
> multi-disciplined in a large range of ideoms to make a career successful
> enough to pay for their training and may just not land a gig that leads
> them to totally embrace Dixieland.
>
>
> On Sun, Mar 9, 2014 at 10:03 AM, Marek Boym <marekboym at gmail.com> wrote:
>
> > 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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> > >
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> > >
> > >
> > >
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> > > Dixielandjazz at ml.islandnet.com
> > >
> > _______________________________________________
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> >
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> >
> >
> >
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> >
>
>
>
> --
> Roy (Bud) Taylor
> Smugtown Stompers Jazz Band
> Rochester, New York
> Traditional Jazz since 1958
> "we ain't just whistling dixie!"
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