JREV3.6FULL.Pdf

KNO ED YOUNG FM98 MONDAY thru FRIDAY 11 am to 3 pm: CHARLES M. WEISENBERG SLEEPY I STEVENSON SUNDAY 8 to 9 pm: EVERYDAY 12 midnite to 2 am: STEIN MONDAY thru SATURDAY 7 to 11 pm: KNOBVT THE CENTER OF 'He THt fM DIAL FM 98 KNOB Los Angeles F as a composite contribution of Dom Cerulli, Jack Tynan and others. What LETTERS actually happened was that Jack Tracy, then editor of Down Beat, decided the magazine needed some humor and cre• ated Out of My Head by George Crater, which he wrote himself. After several issues, he welcomed contributions from the staff, and Don Gold and I began. to contribute regularly. After Jack left, I inherited Crater's column and wrote it, with occasional contributions from Don and Jack Tynan, until I found that the well was running dry. Don and I wrote it some more and then Crater sort of passed from the scene, much like last year's favorite soloist. One other thing: I think Bill Crow will be delighted to learn that the picture of Billie Holiday he so admired on the cover of the Decca Billie Holiday memo• rial album was taken by Tony Scott. Dom Cerulli New York City PRAISE FAMOUS MEN Orville K. "Bud" Jacobson died in West Palm Beach, Florida on April 12, 1960 of a heart attack. He had been there for his heart since 1956. It was Bud who gave Frank Teschemacher his first clarinet lessons, weaning him away from violin. He was directly responsible for the Okeh recording date of Louis' Hot 5. He spoke to E. A. Fern, president of Okeh about his old friend Louis Armstrong. Fern directed Richard M. Jones to gather Dodds and Ory, etc. for the sessions. There was an article on Bud in Jazz Session magazine in 1947. He played on Freeman's Crazeology; Jimmy Mc- Partland's Deccas and had his own rec• ords on Signature. SUPPORT a single issue. Charles Payne Rogers I am a little annoyed at those dis• Being what may be termed a tradi• Huntington Valley, Pa. gruntled subscribers to The Jazz Review tionalist and mainstreamer, I have been who climax their grievances by threat• unable to keep abreast the changes ening to cancel their subscriptions. and developments in jazz. However, ar• NOSEGAY What do these readers expect to accom• ticles such as those by Cannonball Congratulations to Mimi Clar for her plish by withdrawing their support from Adderley and Art Farmer have been a two courageous reviews in the May is• an admirable effort to keep jazz litera• revelation to me. These musicians have sue. It is high time that there appeared ture and communication alive? Do they something to say, and they say it well. on the jazz horizon a reviewer with know what it takes in circulation to Also, the series on James P. Johnson sufficient insight and courage to debunk keep a small publication going? Do they and early Ellington will hold up as im• the pretensions of, on the one hand, realize, for instance, that publishing portant writing and documentation of the George Shearings of the jazz world costs have skyrocketed to a plateau of permanent value. Students of jazz and, on the other, those so-called vocal• diminishing returns where it is almost should complete their files of back is• ists who like Staton, are utterly ignorant impossible to make the grade? Do they sues. In fact, the early issues of The of (and indifferent to) the art they as• realize that the writers and reviewers Jazz Review are almost unobtainable. pire to practice. contribute their efforts largely through The Jazz Review should be given full If any reed or trumpet man were to dedication to the cause of jazz—and support by all of us. Petty criticism appear on the stand of any jazz club certainly not for monetary gain? should not stifle _the growth of this in the nation and were to display as The Jazz Review has made a major step healthy trend toward an overdue, ma• appalling an ignorance of his instru• forward in cutting through the parochial ture approach to the understanding of ment as does Miss Staton, or as com• thinking which has plagued writers and jazz. plete incompetence to master it as does followers of jazz for more than two George W. Kay Miss Connor, he would be hooted from decades. No other magazine has been New Bedford, Mass. the stand. Yet, out of kindness or in• able to effectively implement a broad difference (or their own simple igno• editorial policy encompassing tradi• rance?) jazz reviewers without exception tional, mainstream and modern jazz. DENIAL (until now) accept at face value the No other publication has given equal In the May '60 issue, Nat Hentoff erred assertions of these vocalists' represen• space to Oliver, Ellington and Monk in in stating that "George Crater" began tatives that they are the jazz singers 3 to whom we must turn if we are to have his guide rather than the sole basis others who in the opinion of the critic jazz singers. Why not, indeed, Bobby of his writing: Bill Crow, if he had have done something to influence the Darin and Elvis Presley, if we are to go written under a pen-name, would not artist or performance. If therefore, a so far astray from singing? easily be recognised as a musician- review of Coltrane says more about The same congratulations (but in re• critic, at least in comparison with other Rollins, or vice versa, that is the critic's verse) to Bill Crow for his singularly musician-reviewers in past issues. privilege. imperceptive review of "The Billie Holi• I must repeat that I find reviews writ• There are, of course, other reasons for day Story." Can anybody who knew ten by musicians most valuable, but I writing and reading criticism; too many Billie Holiday on the Columbia or Com• believe that they should not stand to mention. Periodic reviews of an art• modore sessions seriously recommend alone; they should rather complement ist's work informs the audience of the this Decca set (perhaps Billie's worst the writings of professional critics. I artist's progress, and while it is, of period vocally) as adequately represen• also do not mean to say that a theo• course, always desirable to hear or see tative of the work of the greatest of retical and practical knowledge of the for yourself, criticism can provide in• jazz singers? In heaping adulation upon field is not highly desirable in the formation when practical knowledge be• Lady Day is it necessary to praise her critic, and if I did not believe so, comes impossible. If we want the jazz worst work equally with her best? Would would hardly subscribe to the JR. Tech• musician to be treated as the artist he it not be better, for Billie's memory nical knowledge, thorough acquaintance is, we must treat him in the context and the sake of jazz, now and in the with the history of the field, taste, im• of criticism as we would the author of future, to say simply that here was a partiality, tolerance, and a readable a book, the composer of a symphony, great singer who, early in her life, lost style are the necessary requisites for or the creator of a painting. The Jazz her voice and carried on by the force any critic. But it is certainly not a Review is doing this admirably. of her sheer, overpowering personality requisite for the critic to be able to Harold Bohne for twenty years after her voice was do something better than the artist. If Toronto, Canada gone? complete appreciation of any art form C. H. Garragues would require the listener or viewer to We hate to disagree with a supporter, San Francisco out-create or out-perform the artist, but we think Gunther Schuller, Don then the arts would lose one of their Heckman and Dick Katz among our prime functions: to communicate with MUSICIAN AS CRITIC more frequent musician contributors an audience. What is it, that makes an I have read with great interest the dif• are very fine critics. artist great? Certainly not unintelligi- ferent views on criticism expressed in The Editors bility. Is it not the basic simplicity in your latest correspondence column their musical statements that makes (March/April) and while I agree with Who's Art? Louis Armstrong and Miles Davis the the anonymous letter writer that the RAY ELLSWORTH! WAIT MAN . great artists they are? To be sure, in JR has provided a great service in open• DON'T GIVE UP ON JAZZ ... I can this age of mass communications, sim• ing its review columns to performing understand the psychic impact the com• plicity in art may often prove difficult musicians, I strongly disagree with his puter had on you when it said "man to a majority whose perception has contention that only musicians can I don't dig this paragraph here . been blunted by rapid fire entertain• truly appreciate jazz as an art. While etc." But this is only because of your ments (viz the simple beauty of the I hope to see more and more musicians past improper conditioning re comput• Indian film "Panther Panchali" as voice their opinions in the pages of ers. One must remember that the pub• against Hollywood trying to "tell a the JR, I pray that there will never be licity concerning the computers ability story"). a time when they will replace the non- to "think" is just the merchant's and musician critic, because, judging from It is of course important to consider military's idea of how to use it.

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