[Tradjazz] '' TRAD JAZZ", "DIXIELAND" OR "CLASSIC JAZZ"??

[Kelly Leavitt]

Let's see how long it takes.

-----Original Message-----
From: William P. Taggart [mailto:billt at lion.com]
Sent: Friday, August 25, 2006 6:21 PM
To: TradJazz at list.okom.com
Subject: [Tradjazz] '' TRAD JAZZ", "DIXIELAND" OR "CLASSIC JAZZ"??



'' TRAD JAZZ", "DIXIELAND" OR "CLASSIC JAZZ"?? 

I'd like your help in resolving a difference of opinion.  My good friend, BRUCE MCNICHOLS,  of Radio OKOM fame, has taken a position that there are great and significant differences among the phrases "Trad Jazz", " Dixieland", and "Classic Jazz".  He says I'm unsophisticated  for not knowing the differences.  According to Bruce, Trad Jazz refers only to a very narrow style of Jazz originating from English show bands and pretty much played only in England. He cites Acker Bilk as a prime example.

"Dixieland", on the other hand, refers only to the loose form of music that originated in New Orleans. 

"Classic Jazz" refers to Chicago and West Coast Jazz. 

To top it all off, he says that the word," Jazz", without a preceding adjective, means Modern Jazz, starting with Charlie Mingus.  

I, for one,  find it difficult to define Our Kind Of Music in such explicit and definitive ways. I believe there is so much overlap among styles that these terms are much more interchangeable.  Americans can play Trad Jazz with the best of  'em.

Certainly, the word "Jazz", whether standing alone or not, does not refer only to modern Jazz. 

What do you think? 

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://list.okom.com/pipermail/tradjazz/attachments/20060825/2b116bbf/attachment.htm