DANCE MUSIC.

New Zealand Listener, Volume 19, Issue 481, 10 September 1948, Page 5

DANCE MUSIC.

Sir-I have been interested to read in your recent issues about: the activities of dance bands in such diverse places as the J-Force and 2YA Wellington; it is always worthwhile for a listener to know what sttch groups are trying to do even if it is not very ambitious. But when a report on the "Freddie Gore Show" branches off into a_pot;boiled comment on the history of jazz, containing some sound facts mixed up with some very garbled distortions of fact, the result is neither pleasing nor worthwhile. I am not otherwise familiar with the writings of H. O. Osgood, whom the article quotes as saying: "Irving

Berlin may be described without exaggeration as the Bach, Haydn, Mozart and Beethoven of jazz-all the old masters in one!" No one will deny the popularity of many of Berlin’s songhits, but the above statement is about as true as claiming that Gilbert and Sullivan were the greatest masters of grand opera that music has producedall in one! Nor is the quotation of Percy Scholes a happy choice. In his equally garbled article on "Ragtime" in the Oxford Companion to ‘Music, Scholes shows himself ignorant of the importance of the blues in jazz, and winds up his biassed account with a facetious irrelevancy. In contrast to this source, a thorough and factual brief account of jazz is given by Lloyd Hibberd in Willi Appel’s "Harvard Dictionary of Music."

JAZZ LISTENER

(Wellington).

Sir-While having no comment to make on the details of the Freddie Gore Show, supplied in the. article "Dance Music From 2YA," I wish to correct the author’s erroneous beliefs that Berlin set the world dancing to ragtime in 1911, "cashed in" on ragtime, or that local swing clubs have welcomed Bebop with "fierce enthusiasm." Berlin may have set the world dancing, but it wasn’t to ragtime. There is little doubt that she enriched himself, but it was his own melodies which accomplished this, not ragtime. Berlin’s mame has never béen associated with jazz by those who know the score, and Henry C. Osgood’s ridiculous statement that’ Berlin is. a master of jazz will be greeted with the same amusement as another statement made by him, in 1926, to the effect that Zez Confrey’s "Kitten On the Keys" was a masterpiece of jazz! Scholes was right when he said that there was ragtime in the 1880’s. Concerning your ‘writer’s No. 3 remark, it is my opinion that the introduction of Bebop locally has been greeted with lukewarm interest and certainly not the "fierce enthusiasm" which he would have us believe. Secondly, there is only one swing club in Wellington; if there are more, then I would be only too happy to learn of them.

T. C.

NICHOL

(Wellington).

Sir--I emphatically disagree with "Proctor V." (Palmerston North), I consider 2YC has acted wisély if it has reduced modern dance recordings by 50 per cent., although I very much doubt it, for we still seem to get Swing, Swing, and more Swing. However, I know I am voicing the opinion of many when I say ‘we are sick and "tired of tuning into this station night after night and getting. "Songs for Sale," "Musical Quiz," "Sweet Rhythm," etc. By all means let us have Swing sessions, but not from two to four and a half hours of them. If "Proctor V." wants so much of this music may I suggest he visit one of the radio stores in his city and procure a radio-gramophone. This would obviate the necessity of having to "chase all over the dial late at night for Jazz" (as he says he has to) for he could play his "King Cole Trio" and "Bebop with Gillespie," etc., to his heart’s content, and not force his will on people who like to listen to decent music sometimes.

W.I.

C.

(Wellington).