[Dixielandjazz] music in New Orleans

[Phil Wilking]

Truly, there is less traditional jazz in the commercial venues than there 
used to be in New Orleans, but there is some. It's just that most of it is 
to be found away from the tourist areas.

Many of us forget that saloons are not in the business of providing 
employment for their staff, including entertainers. They are in the business 
of making money by selling a legal depressant drug: ethyl alcohol. If they 
think they can make a bigger profit by substituting two chimpanzees and an 
orangutan with electric guitars for a good seven piece band, they will do 
it. (Hmmm, does anyone else remember Ernie Kovacs' Nairobi trio?)

Also, most of those who run the venues are too young to know how traditional 
jazz should sound. Jazz was the fad music of the late teens and 1920's. That 
is 85 to 95 years ago. Electric noise was the fad of the 1960's, 1970's, and 
later, which is the period when most current saloon managers grew up, and 
therefore what they hire to be played when given a free hand.

To climb back up on the soapbox:

Young people like good traditional jazz when they hear it, when it is played 
properly at dancing tempo, but it is something totally new to most of them. 
As far as they know, "Panama" (Tyers, 1911), is brand new and they couldn't 
dance a rhumba on a bet. So what? Move the way the music guides you to do; 
that's what young people always have done whenever they hear an unfamiliar 
rhythm. And traditional jazz is excellent "music to polish belt buckles by."

So - don't wait for someone to call you to play jazz. Go out and push. Show 
the people who hire entertainment that you can bring the repeat customers 
in.

Phil Wilking - K5MZF
www.nolabanjo.com

Those who would exchange freedom for
security deserve neither freedom nor security.

-----Original Message----- 
From: Marek Boym

Judging by the article, there is precious little jazz there