Re: [Harp-L] Dixieland Jazz Harp?

[Joe and Cass Leone <leone@xxxxxxxx>]

On Jul 15, 2005, at 11:39 PM, Jonathan Metts wrote:

> Reading the posts about "Sweet Georgia Brown", a couple of words 
> caught my
> eye..."Dixieland Jazz".  This is definitely my favorite type of jazz, 
> but
> I've never heard of harmonica being used with the style.

 More modern jazzes are cerebral, convoluted, laid back and cool, and 
the melody is not necessarily readily recognizable to the untrained 
listener.
 More traditional jazzes are toe-tapperss, hot, based on rags, marches, 
spirituals and ARE recognizable.
 I (personally) prefer 1..Dixieland  2..Jazzified Pop  3..Hot swing  
4..Progressive  5..Latin beat. The more modern jazzes don't do anything 
for me and are just an excercise to show everyone how many notes can be 
played in a half roentgen of a second, OR if a guy can keep up a solo 
for 13 straight minutes. Blaaaaah!

>   Can anyone
> recommend some players and albums?  It seems like a natural matchup of
> instrument to music now that I think about it, since Dixieland already 
> uses
> so many wah-like hand/mute effects that sound quite similar to 
> harmonica
> effects.

 Unfortunately, those of us that came along in the 50s and 60s playing 
this stuff went up against a stone wall called rock. We were playing 
the wrong music at the wrong time, were a dime short and a generation 
late, and couldn't make any money at it, so the interest waned. While 
there IS a vociferous and dedicated crowd to this genre, it is usually 
much older (49-64-81-100) and the only place where I have found the 
type to be appreciated is here in SW Fla where all the retirees are, in 
which case the 17 piece "Englewood Swing Band" PACKS them in. Of course 
you have to play in the afternoon, as everyone needs to take their nap.

>   And the horns seem intended to sound like human voices, which the
> harmonica also excels at (in some cases, at least).  Wow, I'm getting
> excited just thinking about the possibilities now.

 Nothing like starting "Closer Walk with Thee" at a funeral dirge (just 
as done at a New Orleans funeral) and then really ripping into it (as 
they do when they leave the cemetery). If I were doing lead I would use 
a trumpet. The counterpoint is done with a clarinet. In fact, the ONLY 
reason I used to play trumpet and still play clarinet is because of 
Dixie-land.  Other neat tunes:
 1....High Society (which I did Memphis 1993)
 2....Sheik of Araby(Columbus 2002)
 3....Georgia Brown/ St. Louis Blues(St. Louis 1996)
 4....Panama / Oh didn't he Ramble(Detroit 1992)
 5....South Rampart St on Parade(Buckeye 1992)
 6....DYKWIMTMNO/Basin st Blues (Detroit 1995)

 Naaah, don't think you'll have much luck finding harmonica dixie-land. 
This fall (Nov.) there is a dixie-land fest in Clearwater beach Fla. On 
a Friday there will be a 'harmonica-rama' for 3 hours.

> Jonathan Metts
>
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