[Tradjazz] Impact Records

[Steve Barbone]

"Ken Gates" <kwg28 at sbcglobal.net> writes polite snip

> My thought was to
> limit the choices to those made before 1940---roughly when a lot of critics
> believe "real" jazz was developed.  Seems as though many jazz histories do
> believe that impact started with Armstrong and solo orientation.

Interesting point as it the views of those critics do kind of ignore what
happened pre Hot 5/Hot 7.

Another thing most critics ignore is the Impact Sidney Bechet may have had
on solo orientation. There are just a few views out there that Bechet solo
development preceded that of Louis. Could it be that Louis may have heard
Bechet solos on records? Could it be that Bechet records may have influenced
musicians viz a viz solos?

Maybe so, but Bechet gets little credit. Perhaps his abrasive personality
prevented his gaining the recognition he deserved from peer musicians as
well as the media? 

Also interesting is that Bechet and Armstrong were originally ear players
who could not read music. Louis did learn to read later, but Bechet never
really mastered playing the dots.

I remember Bechet teaching me Salty Dog naughty words, and then the tune.
When I asked him for the chord changes, he smiled and blew the arpeggios for
me until I had them down in my memory. It is a simple tune.  But then Bechet
was so gifted he could play anything he heard at one sitting, including
Operatic passages, with rare exceptions. :-)

Did this lack of reading skills, enable Louis, Bechet and later Bix to
become such masterful improvisers and unique soloists? Not worrying about
musical rules and written limitations? Now that's a subject for
investigation by someone more insightful that I.

Cheers,
Steve Barbone