Post 339: WHAT IS TRADITIONAL JAZZ?

Recently I was present when two friends - both jazz musicians - got into an argument about what exactly 'traditional jazz' is. One of them took the extreme 'purist' line that traditional jazz is what was played in New Orleans by black musicians in the first half of the Twentieth Century. Only those black musicians, he said, could really feel the music and instinctively play the 'blues' scales. He said that later 'traditional jazz', largely played by white musicians, should just be called 'Dixieland' - music that was slick and often polished but lacking in the true 'blues feeling'.

It reminded me of the arguments on the same topic that my schoolboy friends John, Ian and Derek used to have in the 1950s, when the British 'trad jazz' boom began. We called the music 'trad'; but John and Derek said British bands were producing only a commercialised and sanitised copy of authentic New Orleans traditional jazz. (Personally, I kept out of these arguments. I just wished I could play it - sanitised or not!)

The argument between my pals a few days ago made me think: 'Wow! I have been writing a blog called Enjoying Traditional Jazz for several months. Do I really know what I'm talking about?'

Well, I am not going to attempt a dictionary-style definition of traditional jazz. The fact is that I do not consider the nomenclature important. But I will tell you what I am trying to cover in my blog.

The kind of music I am writing about encompasses all the following terms (and probably more):

Traditional Jazz
'Trad'
New Orleans Jazz
Dixieland
Ragtime
Chicago-Style Jazz
West Coast Jazz
Jug Band Music

In other words, for me traditional jazz is about a style of playing: a group of musicians take a tune and agree the key, the melody and the chord sequence and away they go, playing the material and improvising around it. Generally there is a fixed tempo and generally the 'choruses' are repeated end-to-end as many times as required. There may or may not be an agreed musical arrangement - either a 'head' arrangement or one on paper. The tunes are drawn largely but not exclusively from the repertoires of the classic jazz bands from the first half of the Twentieth Century and popular music generally.

I do not have a fixed idea about what instruments a traditional jazz band should contain and I do not agree that a traditional jazz band must have six or seven players. I think traditional jazz can be played by any number of players - from one to perhaps as many as ten (provided they do not tread on each other's toes).

I do not even believe that a trad band should have a 'front line' of trumpet, clarinet and trombone and a 'rhythm section' of bass (tuba or string), drums and chord instrument (guitar, banjo or piano). Although this formation has worked well for many bands for decades, I think traditional jazz being played by bands that include a violin, a washboard, a harmonica or whatever is just as valid. Look at photos from the bands of the 1920s: there are various combinations of instruments and you often find the leader was a violinist.

What I do not count as traditional jazz is 'free jazz'. And 'modern jazz' is not quite traditional jazz either, though there is more overlap with traditional jazz than some may think.

Do the musicians have to be black in order to achieve greatness? Well, certainly when you listen to such a player as Johnny Dodds, you understand why some theorists think so. But white musicians have contributed massively to the history of traditional jazz, in composing and performing. And now we have the new generation of young musicians who have gravitated to the streets of New Orleans. Most of them are white; and they play with great technique and feeling. Their music - for me - is traditional jazz. You can find plenty of it on YouTube. Try any of these bands:
Loose Marbles
Baby Soda
The Palmetto Bug Stompers
The Gentilly Stompers
The Shotgun Jazz Band
Tuba Skinny
The Smoking Time Jazz Band
The Little Big Horns

Post 338: TUBA SKINNY SHOW US HOW TO PLAY TRADITIONAL JAZZ

As you probably know, Tuba Skinny occasionally spend a week in Italy. For the end-of-2013 trip, they had John Doyle on reeds. By then, I had come to the conclusion that he is one of the greatest clarinet players in the history of traditional jazz; and I am now even more convinced. His technique and inventiveness are amazing, and yet he subjects his talents (as do all players in this great band) to the Tuba Skinny house style, in which everyone puts teamwork first and there is no room for exhibitionists.

In these videos (we must be very grateful to a film-maker codenamed NewOrleansJS for presenting them to us), we can enjoy these performances:

Big Chief Battleaxe (Thomas S. Allen, 1907). This is a routine performance by Tuba Skinny standards, which means it is far better than most bands could produce. But it seems to be the first number in their programme. You sense they are 'loosening up' and perhaps slightly affected by some tiredness after the long journey from New Orleans. As usual, Shaye directs the operation with all those little signals she has developed.

Crazy 'Bout You (Big Bill Broonzy and the State Street Boys, 1935). This is a simple, catchy 16-bar tune. Shaye starts on cornet and then switches to piano, taking a solo that reminds us she is also one of the best New Orleans pianists at present. It's a very happy number and Erika has the audience clapping along with her spirited, rocking vocal.

Willie the Weeper (Walter Melrose, Marty Bloom and Grant Rymal, 1920). The band plays a 4-bar Introduction; and then they go into the second theme of Willie The Weeper. Barnabus and John contribute lustily throughout. There is fine ensemble work and great backed solos on the second theme, though Shaye alone takes a solo (one of her amazing arabesques) on the first (G minor) theme. Note Shaye's direction of the band again. She takes so much trouble before they start - to get the tempo exactly right. Also note the brilliant final few notes with which she chops the tune off at the end.

Weary Blues (Artie Matthews, Mort Greene and George Gates, 1915). Unfortunately this recording starts well into the tune, missing the opening themes (in F) but we still have the Bb theme, with plenty of amazing, exciting stuff, played at a cracking pace. One of the highlights occurs where Shaye plays a terrific solo against offbeats from all six of the other players.

Six Feet Down (Erika Lewis, 2009). Erika sings her own superb composition in F; and there is a great solo by John, against ensemble background. The ever-popular Robin Rapuzzi also struts his stuff on washboard.

How can you view these videos? Go to YouTube and type in 'Tuba Skinny Orvieto 2013'. That should bring them all up.