Page 32 - TheGoldBug1958-59

The Gold Bug, Feb. 13, 1959 final note I LI__ i_a_zz_pan_o_r_a_m_a _ _J1 LI__ i_a_zz_p_an_o_r_a_m_a_ _J1 LI__ J_·a_zz_p_an_o_r_a_ma__ ....J11L__ i_a_zZ_p_a_D_O_r_a_m_a_-, No one knows where jazz began just as no one knows how it got its suedes," looked out fro~ his horn-rimmed glasses and ~alled himself a A year ago, we were known as name. One source has stated that any group of idle young Negroes in ballin.' man. the "new" stall', and now we are a Memphis back alley equipped with a broken down saxophone, a banjo It remained for Miles Davis to branch out with a new form and thus the "old" and retiring one. It is and some tin cans will usually begin to playa form recognizable as early partially resolve the difference between the sophisticates, the "grass difficult to put our feelings into jazz, roots" fundamentalists and the bop revolutionists. Davis propounded words at this time. To say it was At funerals, at clambakes, at the celebration for the king of the the theory of cool jazz backed up by such current sidemen as Gerry a wonderful year is to be trite-- Zulus, all across the South but perhaps concentrated in the ployglot city Mulligan, J. J. Johnson and Lee Konitz. Among the followers of Davis yet we can think of no other way of New Orleans, the music of the Negro band blasted out the birth vf were such exponents as Stan Getz, Paul Desmond, today affiliated with to sum up the many components jazz. It is thought that the word jazz may have originated from a Brubeck, and Bob Brockmeyer. The one black mark against cool jazz of our year. During this time we slurring of the abbreviation of the names of popular musicians, that is seems to be the fact that it proved to be undanceable and thus it spawned have learned a lot, but still left J as or Ohas. rock and roll. much "unlearned"; discovered that The first movement in the evolution of jazz was ragtime. Ragtdme As jazz grew from the Fighting Forties into the Frantic Fifties, it was work at times, but that was surpassed by the fun we had; found grew up in an atmosphere of honky-tonks and sporting houses and was jazzists were once again searching for the new sound. Instruments The harmonic a piano form. almost exclusively seemingly unsuited were used to create music that had aU the stamp of of this type patterns that each edition brought Dew and have been preserved on the cylindrical piano rolls while the music of the jazz. The flute, 'cello, French horn, oboe, the harmonica and the Ham- interesting experfenees, and most early: bands is lost to us. mond organ, all came into use as means of new expressions of jazz. important. gained a new under- standing of the meaning of coop. Buddy Bolden, a prominent barber by day and an even more promin- YOrk~~~a~n~~i;~~c~~~i:!~i~~d~;~n~ho~ j:z~d:~ ~7::,;:e~sus~~a~f: eration. ent trumpet player by night, the Eagle Band with Mutt Carey and ventions, the 00, the utsu, the One of our aims was to make the GOLD BUG truly a student !~~ek b~~h~s~~~ t~fet~:i;;~:~i~~~S ~:~lldh~~r:~:gd;~r ~~~p;~~tic~~~~~ ~~l~ht;n~~~:~fe~~ t!: i~:;~p~~~ publication, and we would like to rejoiced at the clambakes and the fish fries and laid away a departed Moondog does not quite coincide thank the students who have helped brother with a solemn rendition of "Oh, Didn't He Ramble," with any established then or dis- us travel in this direction. Without Jazz or Dixieland music was not exclusively a Negro field as there covered yet pattern of jazz. your interest and support, we would not have gained very mueh, :::e an;~~~o~~ ;~iitt: :u~~~~~~~sw~c::~~ ~n91~~a:!n~ea~~i;i~~a~n~:~~la~~ M~~h;:g,~~~h ~~tG::ry U~~~~ga~~ \ Your constructive criticism was Jazz Band gave the form its biggest push as they recorded "The Livery who formed a unit with no piano, also appreciated. Stable Blues" for Victor Records. With the success of the Original and Dave Brubeck, a music stu- This is the time to express our Dixieland Jazz Band, the word jazz soon replaced ragtime in the current dent with classical knowledge, for- very best wishes to the new editor- idiom. mulated their own improvisions. in-chief and his staff, and to hope The first Negro outfit to record was one of the most influential and The Fire House Five, a group of that they have as pleasant a year .impcr tarrt bands of the early jazz period, Joe "King" Oliver's Creole Walt Disney illustrators who got as we have had, With the con- Jazz Band harbored such sidemen as trombonist Kid Dry, Baby Dodds together with the sole intent to tinued eooperatlon and interest of on the drums, and Louis Armstrong, who became a real force at the play original Dixieland jazz for the students, the staff will find that trumpet position, and emulated Oliver's playing until he became the pure enjoyment, turned down one its problems will be lessened-csn greatest trumpeter in the world. As vocalist the groups backed Lil hundred thousand dollars worth of please further your support in the Hardin, who later became Armstrong's wife. engagements because the appear- newspaper and those who work for The jazzist had to rely on gimmicks or strange names to get before ances would interrupt their work it. the public. Baby Dodds, the drummer, became very large on the comb, at the Disney Studios. Weare grateful to so many who and many a washboard virtuoso washed his socks as a featured number. In looking at contemporary jazz, have helped us during the past Now faded into obscurity are such famous bands as Sidney Bechet and one finds an increasing interest in year-to the students as have been his New Orleans Feet Warmers, the Mount City Blueblowers, J. C. Cobb big bands, jazz concerts, records previously mentioned; to the busi- and his Grains of Corn, Jimmy Bertrand's Washboard Wizards and the and performers. The formation of ness staff; to the men and women Memphis Night Hawks, the Newport International Band at The Times, Ine.c-eepeelally Mr_ Jazz still to a large extent was obscured from the white public, arid shows that jazz, while a distinctive Edgar Royer, who is our honorary it was to rectify this situation that in 1924 Paul Whiteman presented a American art, is by no means lim- editor: to the administration, who have imposed practically no regu- ~~~~~~!/::~~~i~~t~~~~~o~ej:~:i~~s'~~~;:rs~~:: h!i~~'to ~~~: i:b~~~ ite~h~ S~~ys~~rj~z is the story of lations concerning censorship; and to Dr, Richard B. Bovey, the rae. a greater acceptance of jazz as a particular musical form. ~:ner~~h J;e;~~~em!~r~itC;; i~::~ ulty advisor, who has been a most The period from 1926-1929 is often known as the Golden Era of Jazz Jazz. They have followed their muse wherever it has led, whether cheap helpful asset, recording. Cutting discs for various companies were Louie Armstrong's saloon or fancy concert hall. The dedication of the pioneers should serve In closing, the outgoing editor !~t :~n~::o~e~p::' N:l~~1~~~~n~~h5ei;e;a~~':t ~::~Yo~O~~eMjO:zt~~c:: as an inspiration to the men of today who play the ~z~~k~;~rrow. would like to add his personal ap- were the McPartland Bros. who played cornet and banjo; Frank Tes- L. MUSSELMAN preciation to the members of his chemaoher on clarinet; Jack Teagarden, trombone; Fud Livingston, sax- staff, all of whom have served ophone; Dave Tough and Gene Krupa on drums. An interesting and faithfully. It has been a privilege talented personality of the age was "Mezz" Mesarow who studied the and a pleasure to work with such saxophone in jail and made his living selling dope. He was a white man pressed into the sweetest jazz record ever cut and then take that record c_h_o_D_k_y_t_oD_k_SO_llD_d--,1 an incredible staff. who rejected his race and requested that after his death his ashes be LI_h_OD_k_y_t_O_Dk_SO_llD_d__, ATD and give it to a poor boy on the street that couldn't afford to buy one. During the early thirties, jazz and jazzmen migrated overseas in If I were to casually mention some names such as "Cow Cow" Dav- great numbers. Virtually unknown and greatly unrecognized to the enport, Meade Lux Lewis, Thelonius Sphere Monk, and Willie "The orchestration American public, the musicians found a wonderful reception of an in- Lion" Smith, you'd probably think I flipped my flivver or else regressed formed public. Louie Annstrong, Duke Ellington, Cab Calloway, Cole- to my reform school days. Aside from their notorious-sounding names, man Hawkins, these are but a few of the men who took the Grand Tour. they have one thing in, common; they're all pianists--jazz pianists. To Perhaps not known and of inter- About this period a group was composed which deserves mention if some people this would qualify them for rooms in the same cell block, est to many jazz fans of WMC is only from sheer weight of talent. The Charleston Chasers included but let's not discuss that because there's something more important at the fact that WJZ-TV (13) broad- Bennie Goodman, clarinet; Jack Teagarden, trombone; Charlie 'I'eagar-, hand, and that concerns the instrument with which these men are asso- casts a live program featuring den, trumpet; Gene Krupa, drums; and Glenn Miller, trombone- and ar- ciated. The importance of the piano in modem jazz is made evident by stars of jazz and contemporary mu- ranger. the mere mention of Duko Ellington and GeQrge Shearing. sic. Among those who have pre- "It don't mean a thing if it ain't got that swing" was the title of a As jazz has evolved to its present state so has the piano, or, should viously appeared on the show as I say, piano technique. I'm primarily interested in one important phase guests are Al Hibbler, Kai Wind_ song recorded by Duke Ellington and it proved an apt int.roduction for of this evolutionary process and thab is ragtime (also known as honkey- the next phase of jazz, swing music. ing, and Jack Teagarden. The tonk, rinkeydink, and many other primitive terms). program originates in Baltimore Benny Goodman's early attcmpts at swing met with little success Let's be realistic about the beginning of jazz. The real forerunners every Wednesday night at 10 pm. especially in New York. He decided on a road tour tel'lr.inating in have probably been forgotten if they were ever known at all, Uniortun- Bailey Goss and Chuck Thomp_ California. His records helped t;o. create a young audience and swing ately the early fonns of jazz, such as the blues and Negro brass bands. son try to guide the viewers into a was launched by Goodman in California. couldn't be preserved. However, at the turn of the century there were greater appreciation of jazz as an The cause of swing and as such, jazz, was furthered by the Swing plenty of pianos around and, what's more important, player-pianos. art form by the presentation of Music Concert at the Imperial Theatre, May 24, 1936, in New York City. Any knowledge of the earliest jazz has been made known by these player- some of the outstanding personali- Bob Crosby, better known as a jazz man than his rich relative, fronted pianos. Now some people say that this very ragtime of which I'm speak- ties of the modern day jazz field. a big Dixieland band; Tommy Dorsey led his Clambake Seven; Red Nor- ing was the predecessor of jazz itself, only under another name. An- The genial announcers present a vo and Bunny Berigan and their swing sextets; Glen Grey and the Casa other theory, propounded by Orrin Keepnews (whoever he was), says ~elax~ format quite compatible to Loma Orchestra; all these headliners participated in the program. that it was an entirely separate movement. Still another theory sug- Jazz Vlewers. However, the hit of the evening was a group modestly billed as "Arthur gests that at the turn of the century ragtime was active in the city, Shaw's String Ensemble." Artie supported his clarinet with a string while in the rural areas the blues were sung to stringed instrum~nts. quartet and a new dimension of jazz sound was born. These elements blended with brass bands and the result was jazz. next issue Shaw took his new improvision and fitted it into the big band pat- By now you see that ragtime was instrumental in fonning what be- george varga tern thus competing with Benny Goodman for the top place. Another came jazz. What is ragtime then? It's primarily piano music in which band that grew out of tltis period was the band of Woody Herman that rhythm while the right hand the left hand k€'eps a steady 4-to-the-bar fluctuated between the sweet swing of Artie Shaw and tIle overgrown discusses Dixieland of Bob Crosby and the Bobcats, weaves melodic patterns that involve a certain amount of primitive syn- jazz overseas "Beat me, Daddy, 8 to the bar" became the cry as Meade. Lux Lewis, copation and melodic complexity. The best illustration would be the on Lawrence type of music played by Tiny Little Welk's TV show- hot from the car wash, banged out boogie-WOogie,the new national craze. that's ragtime. The piano reached a prominence that it had not attained since the days As with any art, you must have artists. Let me just say a little of the honky tonk saloon. about these unique virtuosos. I hope I'm not slurring the term pianists In spite of, or perhaps because of, the various trends and variations, GOLD BUG jazz came to be recognized as an American art form. It was accorded when I refer to the ragtimers as being such because, as their biographies reveal, they are nothing but pure color. the acclaim and status it had been lacking so long. spirit. Charlie "Cow Cow" Davenport is typical of the ragtime Al- Jazz attained a degree of respectability after the Benny Goodman though he was a serious theology student, he was kicked out of seminary Carnegie Hall Concert. This event points up the three distinct philoso- for his non-theological interest in sinful music. Perhaps that particular phies of jazz at this period. There were the musicians who were at- seminary did music a great injustice because "Cow Cow" later experi- tempting to sophisticate jazz by trying to dress it in a white tie and mented with boogie-woogie a.nd even had a "rhapsody" named after him tails. -Cow Cow Boogie. The next group are the fundamentalists who attempted to revive Meade Lux Lewis made several honky tonk recordings which Member the original patterns, the original sounds and the original men. This achieved no acclaim at all. He then' settled down to a secure life of Associated CoJlegiate Press group is characterized by the Lu Water's Yerba Beuna Jazz Band, which washing cars until someone discovered his recordings and fame was formulated many of_ the ideas of Turk Murphy and Bob Scobey, Up thrust at his wrinkled fingertips. Meade Lux later moved into the field Subscription Price $2.00 a Year to his knees in a Louisiana rice paddy was where they found Bunk John- of boogie-woogie as did your friend and mine, "Cow Cow." Albert T. Dawkins, Jr. son who had lost his horn, his teeth and his interest in jazz; they got him Perhaps Wally Rose's life best epitomizes the orderly, purposeful Editor-in-Chief a new horn, a new set of "store boughten choppers" and 01' Bunk began lives of the ragtime pianists. He studied in Honolulu, spent three years Robert Fothergill to blow. Kid Dry, of trombone fame, was plucked off a chicken ranch in in the Navy, travelled with the Yerba Buena Jazz Band, played light Business Manager California to front the Creole Jazz Band. As Eddie Condon has said, classics for one year, studied gypsy music at Balalaiha, and ended up EDITORIAL STAFF "Dixieland is the only true jazz!" being one of the living exponents of gE'-nuineearly ragtime music. News Editors Ellen The third train of thought was a complete departure from the pre_ Of all t.he ragtimers, Jelly Roll Morton is the neatest and most lov- Ass't. New .. Editors _ vious two schools. At Minton's, a small New York night spot now al- able. A jazz critic said he was "a strange mixture of genius, musician, after most venerated as a shrine, a group of young rebels got together Fe ..t"",Eriitor~_ poet, snob, and braggard." Duke Ellington paid him a great compli- A",;istant Fe~ture Editor hours to improvise and create. Led by Charlie "Yardbird" Parker and ment by saying, "Sure Jelly Roll had talent ... talent for talking about News Feat"", Editor Dizzy "the Leader" Gillespie, they brought oub a sound that the group Jelly Roll Morton." Another critic who had nothing but praise for him Assistant News Feature called .Bop, Variously known as Bebop or Rebop the movement caught Mary Cal' MoCormlck said, "Morton was very important as a composer, hut his tremendous ego Sports Editor Torn AlbertMln fire and Dizzy moyed out with a band_ ()f his own. Woody Herman who and his limited technique got in the way of his piano playing." COPT Editor -=- Editor _ John Weagly had formed his "First Herd," and Stan Kenton came out of the boppist Today Crazy Otto (Johnny Mattox), Knuckles O'Toole, and Joe As"!stantSportll Vil'Q'!nl.. Pott A"'lJItant COpy Editor$ _ Joan Wood movcment with adaptable musical organizations, Fingers Carr (Lou Busch) carryon the ragtime tradition. There seems Typing Editor _. __ !!,:hK~~~ With the many movements and the interest in them there seemed to be a revival of this art form; the sudden popularity of hi-fi is prob- BUSINESS STAFF to be no predicting the heights to which jazz might climb. The hopes of ably one of the causes. It's interesting to note that the one remaining AdvertialngManager.~ltonaldBarrnan jazzophiles were dashed when a record ban was imposed from August, company who made the old player.pianos has just re-organized and is Clreulation Powell AndeMion Exchange .. Sandr .. EMtwoud 1942 to October, 1943. When the ban was lifted in the fall of 1943_the doing a landslide business. This is just a sign that people are interested Advisor Dr, Richard B. Hovel' field of bop had become perverted through mass identification and e'very in, and are gaining pleasure from one of the oldest forms of jazz, "cat" WllOhad a pair of pegged pants, a D.A. haircut and a "gone set of T_ KINTER