[Dixielandjazz] Jabbo Smith--who's scatting?

[Marek Boym]

I object to seeking "stylistic evolutionary link(s)" to this or that
musician (or author, or painter, for that matter).  Allen went on to become
the most personal stylist - or, in the words of Don Ellis - "the mnost
avant-garde trumpet poayer in New York."
Jabbo Smith was sadly neglected when still in the height of his powers - in
the wrong place at the wrong time.  Had he been in New Orleans, he probably
would have recorded lots of records; after all, many musicians who could
hardly play were being recorded and lauded by fans.  Or in New York -
perhaps less so, as there were fewer devotees.  Or on the West-Coast.  But
he was in Milwaukee, and therefore almost completely forgotten.
I heard Jabbo Smith in The Hague in 1983, with the Chicago Six, and he
could hardly play or sing.  It was sad to see one of  my heroes in that
state, with the others playing down to him.  From time to time the leader
would say: "He wants to sing" or "to play," and they let him do it, but his
singing was hardly audible, and his playing bore no relation to the great
playing of the '20's.
Cheers

On 17 January 2015 at 01:13, Charles Suhor <csuhor at zebra.net> wrote:

> Hello, Dave--
>
> Very interesting piece! Thanks. I looked up Jabbo in my early edition
> (1960) of L. Feather's ENCYCLOPEDIA OF JAZZ. He gives basic bio info, but
> assigns no historical importance to Smith. Fast forward to the NEW GROVE
> DICTIONARY OF JAZZ,1991, and there's high praise. Same is true of Gunther
> Schuller's and Ted Goaia's jazz histories. I want to go back and compare
> the 1929 Jabbo recordings with Red Allen at that time. Allen is often said
> to the (or "a") stylistic evolutionary link from Louis to Eldridge, but the
> Jabbo that I've heard in my review seems the more likely candidate. Jazz
> never stops offering refreshing ways of looking at its history and its
> artists.
>
> Charlie
>
> On Jan 16, 2015, at 3:41 AM, domitype . wrote:
>
> > If you can open this (you may have to have a Google account)  - this
> > article is quite interesting in the comparison of Jabbo and Satchmo.
> >
> http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=950&dat=19771003&id=2mZQAAAAIBAJ&sjid=fVgDAAAAIBAJ&pg=4235,357381
> >
> > I often played them back to back on my radio show.
> >
> > Dave Richoux
> >
> > On Fri, Jan 16, 2015 at 1:10 AM, Bill Haesler <bhaesler at bigpond.net.au>
> > wrote:
> >
> >>> The all-scat vocal is also wonderful. Does anybody know if it;'s Jabbo?
> >>
> >> Dear Charlie,
> >> It most certainly is.
> >> Cheers,
> >> Bill.
> >>
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