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Dear Jim,
<BR>I watched a Marsalis video on Ellington on local TV the other night
and I too was disappointed in the band. It just didn't swing. The difference
was quite noticeable when they featured clips of the real Ellington band.
I heard Wynton here playing classical music and have heard him playing
other quite good music that swings but this band full of good musicians
did not have it. Perhaps it's hard for over drilled musicians these days
to find the feeling.
<BR>regards
<BR>Dan Hardie
<P>Visit the Web site:
<BR><A HREF="http://members.ozemail.com.au/~darnhard/EarlyJazzHistory.html">http://members.ozemail.com.au/~darnhard/EarlyJazzHistory.html</A>
<P>JimDBB@aol.com wrote:
<BLOCKQUOTE TYPE=CITE>
<P><FONT FACE="arial,helvetica"><FONT SIZE=+0>In a message dated 2/25/03
11:41:40 AM Central Standard Time, Trumpetom@aol.com writes:</FONT></FONT>
<BR>
<BLOCKQUOTE TYPE=CITE style="BORDER-LEFT: #0000ff 2px solid; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px"><FONT FACE="Arial"><FONT COLOR="#000000"><FONT SIZE=-1>I
caught the family band special last night on PBS. Struttin' With Some Barbecue
was a treat! Several styles were played at the same time. The best part
for me was the brothers having musical fun quoting each other during the
round of solos on that piece.</FONT></FONT></FONT>
<P><FONT FACE="Arial"><FONT COLOR="#000000"><FONT SIZE=-1>Tom Loeb</FONT></FONT></FONT></BLOCKQUOTE>
<P><FONT FACE="Arial"><FONT COLOR="#000000"><FONT SIZE=+0> Tom, I happened
to cath that show and I wold like to comment. These Marsalis brothers
are very fine musicians...but there is something missing...like feeling. </FONT></FONT></FONT>
<P><FONT FACE="Arial"><FONT COLOR="#000000"><FONT SIZE=+0> The "struttin'
with some Barbeque' was a sop to us traditionalists...'Hey!...we can play
this stuff, too. The front line on the Dixieland-polyphonic ensemble sounded
like Saddam Husseins' Palace jazz band. Three horns playing with absolutely
no feeling or relationship to each other. The audio equivalent of three
drunken Brits throwing darts at the same time in a pub.</FONT></FONT></FONT>
<P><FONT FACE="Arial"><FONT COLOR="#000000"><FONT SIZE=+0> Wynton on
Barbeque wasn't quite sure what to do. He would flub around trying to
approximate Armstrong then give it up and wander around rather aimlessly,
trying to playing what he thinks is 'New Orleans' trumpet. His phrasing
is stilted and frankly he doesn't swing playing traditional things.</FONT></FONT></FONT>
<BR><FONT FACE="Arial"><FONT COLOR="#000000"><FONT SIZE=+0> </FONT></FONT></FONT>
<BR><FONT FACE="Arial"><FONT COLOR="#000000"><FONT SIZE=+0>They played
a couple of really forgettable 'modern' things. The elder Marsalis plays
the mindless modern-comp piano that has infested jazz for so long.</FONT></FONT></FONT>
<P><FONT FACE="Arial"><FONT COLOR="#000000"><FONT SIZE=+0> Jason, I guess
is the youngest, and plays decent enough on drums but is very stiff. He
looked like he was scared to death of his brothers.</FONT></FONT></FONT>
<P><FONT FACE="Arial"><FONT COLOR="#000000"><FONT SIZE=+0> Delfeyo is
the trombonist and plays like a hundred other comtemporary trombonists
who have a lot of technique and are very stiff. He played Tyree Glenn's
'Sultry Serenade' without any warmth whatsoever.</FONT></FONT></FONT>
<P><FONT FACE="Arial"><FONT COLOR="#000000"><FONT SIZE=+0> They all looked
good with expensive clothes and cool stage moves. Harry Connick Jr. made
a guest appearance. He had been a teenage apprentice of the elder Marsalis.
His piano style seems to be a teenagers take on 'Thelonius Monk.' He and
Ellis did a duo pino on 'Caravan.' </FONT></FONT></FONT>
<P><FONT FACE="Arial"><FONT COLOR="#000000"><FONT SIZE=+0>All in all, to
me it was not disappointing because I didn't expect anymore from the Marsalis
family band. I was curious as to what they would sound like together and
they lived down to those expectations. There were some mildly interesting
interviews about the family and early pictures. We were spared any harangues
& lectures from Wynton</FONT></FONT></FONT>
<P><FONT FACE="Arial"><FONT COLOR="#000000"><FONT SIZE=+0>Here is a family
of accomplished 'jazz' musicians that were born and raised in New Orleans,
and they can't play what we think of as New Orleans jazz. Yet, they will
look down on those who can.</FONT></FONT></FONT>
<P><FONT FACE="Arial"><FONT COLOR="#000000"><FONT SIZE=+0>Curmudgeonly
yours,</FONT></FONT></FONT>
<P><FONT FACE="Arial"><FONT COLOR="#000000"><FONT SIZE=+0>Jim Beebe</FONT></FONT></FONT>
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