About Jazz
Dixieland music is a style of jazz which developed in New Orleans at the start of the 20th century, and was spread to Chicago and New York City by New Orleans bands in the 1910s. Dixieland jazz combined brass band marches, French quadrilles, ragtime and blues with collective, polyphonic improvisation by trumpet (or cornet), trombone, and clarinet over a "rhythm section" of piano, guitar, banjo, drums, and a double bass or tuba.
Well-known jazz standard songs from the Dixieland era, such as "Basin Street Blues" and "When the Saints Go Marching In", are known even to non-jazz fans (for more information on Dixieland songs, see the List of Dixieland standards).
History
The style combined earlier brass band marches, French quadrilles, ragtime and blues with collective, polyphonic improvisation. While instrumentation and size of bands can be very flexible, the "standard" band consists of a "front line" of trumpet (or cornet), trombone, and clarinet, with a "rhythm section" of at least two of the following instruments: guitar or banjo, string bass or tuba, piano, and drums.
The term Dixieland became widely used after the advent of the first million-selling hit records of the Original Dixieland Jass Band in 1917. The music has been played continuously since the early part of the 20th century. Louis Armstrong's All-Stars was the band most popularly identified with Dixieland, although Armstrong's own influence runs through all of jazz.
Some fans of post- bebop jazz consider Dixieland no longer to be a vital part of jazz, while some adherents consider music in the traditional style, when well and creatively played, every bit as modern as any other jazz style.
The definitive Dixieland sound is created when one instrument (usually the trumpet) plays the melody or a recognizable paraphrase or variation on it, and the other instruments of the "front line" improvise around that melody. This creates a more polyphonic sound than the extremely regimented big band sound or the unison melody of bebop.
The swing era of the 1930s led to the end of many Dixieland Jazz musicians' careers. Only a few musicians were able to maintain popularity. Most retired.
With the advent of bebop in the 1940s, the earlier group-improvisation style fell out of favor with the majority of younger black players, while some older players of both races continued on in the older style. Though younger musicians developed new forms, many beboppers revered Armstrong, and quoted fragments of his recorded music in their own improvisations.
Beginning in the late 1930s, there was a revival of Dixieland, which brought many semiretired musicians a measure of fame late in their lives as well as bringing retired musicians back onto the jazz circuit after years of not playing (e.g. Kid Ory).
There was also in the 1950s a style called "Progressive Dixieland" which sought to blend traditional Dixieland melody with bebop-style rhythm. Steve Lacy played with several such bands early in his career. This style is sometimes called "Dixie-bop".
Bands For Hire
Fidgety Feet
A
Strolling Dixieland Fun Band with a repertoire of classic tunes
guaranteeing a foot tapping happy occasion.
For over a decade, Fidgety Feet, an eclectic band of musicians have
brought smiles to thousands of faces young and old.
Completely acoustic and mobile, the band can perform just about anywhere,
indoors or out in a variety of crazy costumes or formal wear if required.
Suitable for Corporate Functions, Festivals, Weddings, Divorces,
Supermarkets, Funerals, Restaurants, Barbecues, House, Garden and
Tupperware Parties, Riverboat Shuffles, etc etc.
Highlights of the bands career include supporting Michael Brecker at the
Cork Jazz festival, playing along side: Jools Holland and his Rhythm and
Blues orchestra, Humphrey Lyttelton, Rolf Harris, Martin Taylor with
"The Spirit of Django band", performing at Grosvenor House,
London for the Ancient order of water rats, a national tour of Notcuts
Garden centers and escaping arrest whilst playing on the beach in Southern
Spain!
Check out Fidgety Feet's web site for contact info and sound samples
The Chris Walker Swingtet was formed in 1987 following a one-off Sunday lunchtime session for the Southampton Jazz Society. It gave the band the opportunity to explore and play many of the famous and much loved tunes from the swing era of the 1930s and 40s. The original 5 piece line up of Clarinet/Sax, Vibraphone, Piano, Bass and Drums is a well established one and the band is happy that they are well received at so many and varied functions. With the death of Tan Smart the role of the vibraphone was replaced by a guitar and the broad swinging repertoire of the band has continued.
Equally at home providing dance music in the Country's leading hotels and Cruise liners as they are appearing in their own right or backing top National (and International) jazz stars at Festivals and in pubs and clubs, the Swingtet (which can appear as a 4, the regular 5 or even 6 piece to suit your requirements (and budget)) pride themselves as being particularly "user-friendly" and can easily be just the band for you.
Check out Chris Walkers web site for contact info and sound samples