[Dixielandjazz] Teddy & Ory

[jim at kashprod.com]

Did anyone notice the tempo on the Muscrat Ramble video I posted yesterday
on djml?    <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IPdCL6wq0eg>
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IPdCL6wq0eg

It's tearing along at a great speed.  So many folks seem to think that all
the early stuff was at a medium tempo.  I struggled with our previous
drummer for years on the tempo when we played songs like Muscrat.  He
insisted they be medium tempo, and I wasn't necessarily in agreement.  

 

I firmly believe that, although we have recorded examples by the Masters,
that they may have actually played many of those tunes at varying tempos,
depending on the mood of the audience or the makeup of the particular band
at that moment.  Just  because we hear an original recording of a song
doesn't mean that it MUST be performed in exactly that manner when
reproduced.  

 

Putting your own stamp on a song, with your own rendition, is what will keep
the music alive and evolving.  Jada works as a medium/fast & also as an
extremely slow tune, for example.  I actually prefer it very slow &
mournful, although I doubt it's origin was such.  And, even a change of the
original key can add a new flavor for a song, particularly to put it into a
more favorable key for a particular instrument taking the lead.  

 

I'm in favor of listening to the Masters, but not necessarily copying them
note for note.  And, as I stated earlier in this posting, it's most likely
the Masters did many of these songs in a different way from their recordings
when performed live.  

 

I was told once that during the live performances of Pink Floyd's "The
Wall", the saxophonist had to stand exactly where the X on the stage was
otherwise he would be hit by falling (cardboard) bricks when the wall came
down.  We shouldn't want our music to be marked by an X! 

 

Jim

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