I was a member of a second revival era band during the early 80s, and when particular arrangements of particular historic bands were just so perfect that they could not be improved upon, we would strive to completely recreate them - not with sheet music transcriptions, but from learning them from repeated listening.
When the character of the genre/repertoire of that 1980s band began to change - due to bringing in a singer, and the nature of out-of-town jobs accepted begin to change as well, I resigned, but before I resigned we had begun to ear-transcribe several Wilbur to Paris arrangements, including Martinique, Wrought Iron Rag, his amazing version of Limehouse Blues, and a few others. I really wish we'd continue to pursue the de Paris repertoire (and other music which represented the best of the genre), rather than going off in the direction that the band chose to go.
I realize that we are in an era where this music has greatly wained in popularity and most bands that play it today are sort of jam session type bands that really don't work on learning forms, arrangements, nor even the verses of songs - and only their choruses, and nor do many seem to study those who came before them, but if anyone is interested in really getting into this repertoire, I would just bring their attention to someone that they may not have yet discovered, that being Mr. de Paris and his amazing band.
Finally, I believe that shunning of the word "dixieland" is damaging to the study of this music, as the 1950s era was and is referred to as Dixieland Revival, and at least as many black musicians participated in it and benefited from it as white, so to wallpaper over terminology is to wallpaper over history and over some amazing musicians who took music and musical styles of the 1920s and 1930s to another level.
None of us have control over these threads, and when someone - who begins a thread - complains that it is gone off in a different direction, some of the rest of us chuckle, because we are so familiar with how these things go, but it would be nice to see others continue to either discuss Mr de Paris or other really remarkable Dixieland Revival era bands and musicians, or even some of the more progressive jazz musicians (Morton, and so many others) from the 20s and 30s.
TO AVOID CONFUSION...Many of the Dixieland Revival era musicians played jazz music - when younger - in the 1920's and 1930's...but came to "full bloom" - as well as national/international prominence - LATER during the Revival era. de Paris (as do many) fits into this category.
..If you really want to hurt my heart though, you can link some brass quintet "robo-dixie" crap arrangements into this thread.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oE-gPV5Zh-o...etc.
