[Dixielandjazz] Wild Bill Davison

[Charles Suhor]

Thanks for this really enlightening perspective, Bert! I've always valued improvisation and Louis' trailblazing genius in that area, but I can see how contemporary trumpeters also had instrumentalists like Panico as models for a variety of reasons. I'm aware of the respect that Louis and others, reed as well as brass players, had for symphonic music, especially in New Orleans where the French Opera House was a huge cultural force, and the Creole players valued technical skill.
I have a theory--no, more like a vague wonderment, about whether the "nanny-goat vibrato" that dominated earliest jazz trumpeters might have been an imitation of operatic male tenors' fast vibrato. Has anyone ever studied or speculated on that? It seems to have gone rapidly out of fashion after Louis' fiery, natural sound and Bix's more "legit" tone, except for a few like Mutt Carey, and later, first generation players who were brought back to Preservation Hall. 

Charlie 



> On Nov 29, 2018, at 3:16 AM, Bert <mister_bertje at hotmail.com <mailto:mister_bertje at hotmail.com>> wrote:
> 
> Hello Charles,
> 
> Yes, it is quite well possible, since Panico once outplayed Armstrong in a jam session. (Armstrong was the first to admit that)
> That was without a doubt very early in the 1920's. 
> If you really listen with an open ear, you can hear that Panico had a flawless technique. Armstrong didn't possess that yeat at the time. Esp. listen to the early hot fives, 1925/26 , Armstrong is allready very advanced in his ideas, but his technique is not always up to what he wants to play yet. 
> And musicians, esp. brass players often are very much impressed with clean technique. Lead trumpet players: "You, as as good as your last high note". 
> It is an obsession, but Armstrong himself mentioned being very much impressed by Panico, and they were lifelong friends. 
> 
> Panico also wrote a book, very early: The Novelty Cornetist, which young upcoming musicians just may have studied. 
> 
> Sure, both Armstrong and Bix took the jazz solo much further, but that should not necessarily mean that people could not find inspiration in other values that Panico did posses. Also bear in mind that Armstrong (and Hawkins) were very fond of opera records, and Bix went to concerts of symphony ochestra's, and asked their trumpet player for lessons, since he wanted to improve his technique. But after one lesson the symphony player refused, with the explanation: you are so naturally talented, don't change anything, which Bix could not understand and made him very sad at the moment. 
> 
> Influences and inspiration can be way more complex than what is taught these days. Jazz history classes are so much symplified, that they sometimes nearly become a joke. Of course , there is a general outline, but reality is, that it all was way more complex than the eye meets at first glance. 
> 
> Very kind regards,
> 
> Bert
> F
> > Bill (Davison) was his own man who came up listening to Louis (as 'they' all did), Bix and Louis Panico.
> 
> Thus is the first time I've seen Louis Panico named in the same sentence with Armstrong and Bix. Can he really have been much of an influence on Wild Bill and his generation? 
> 
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