Jazz Ignorance.

[Hardbopjazz]

A true story from this past July.

Over this past summer I caught the Dizzy Gillespie’s All Star Big band at the Blue Note in NYC. James Moody, Jimmy Heath, Slide Hampton and a host of others.

There was a couple sitting at my table along with 4 other people. The guy was talking to the rest of us before the show. He claimed to know everything about jazz. Fifteen minutes into the set he questioned “when will Dizzy come on to the stage”. The woman next to me said, “if Dizzy walks on the stage it would make the front page of every newspaper in the world”. The guy seemed to be puzzled. He asked why to the woman. Her answer was simple, “because he’s been dead for 15 years”.

Edited October 31, 2008 by Hardbopjazz

[Erik Weidinger]

What a hick. I just laugh so much that my girlfrind came and asked me what was so funny.

[BruceH]

15 years already? That makes me feel old.

[Dan Gould]

I've got one from a CD store, years ago. I overheard someone ask for CDs by "Dave Cruisin'" and then later on the same guy asked about "Speero Jeero".

[Hot Ptah]

I am always amazed these days that anyone goes to a jazz club, or seeks out a jazz CD to buy. I assume that everyone there will have little or no knowledge of jazz. I am just glad that anyone supports jazz in any form.

If I went to any contemporary rock concert or festival, just about anything I said might get laughed at by those "in the know" at the event.

One thing that posting on this board has taught me--I am ignorant about jazz, compared to some others. I thought I knew quite a lot about it, but not compared to some others.

Edited October 28, 2008 by Hot Ptah

[BillF]

  Dan Gould said:

I've got one from a CD store, years ago. I overheard someone ask for CDs by "Dave Cruisin'" and then later on the same guy asked about "Speero Jeero".

Must have been the same guy who asked BBC Jazz Record Requests for records by The Loneliest Monk and Fat Swallow! In my youth jazz friends of mine were intrigued when a waitress listed her record collection of current pops and included a Sonny Rollins. "What's the Sonny Rollins?" they asked. "Oh, you know," she answered,"it's one of those cowboy records." Yes, you've got it!

Edited October 28, 2008 by BillF

[Hot Ptah]

  BillF said:

  Dan Gould said:

I've got one from a CD store, years ago. I overheard someone ask for CDs by "Dave Cruisin'" and then later on the same guy asked about "Speero Jeero".

Must have been the same guy who asked BBC Jazz Record Requests for records by The Lonliest Monk and Fat Swallow! In my youth jazz friends of mine were intrigued when a waitress listed her record collection of current pops and included a Sonny Rollins. "What's the Sonny Rollins?" they asked. "Oh, you know," she answered,"it's one of those cowboy records." Yes, you've got it!

Maybe she was thinking about Way Out West.

Edited October 28, 2008 by Hot Ptah

[BillF]

  Hot Ptah said:

  BillF said:

  Dan Gould said:

I've got one from a CD store, years ago. I overheard someone ask for CDs by "Dave Cruisin'" and then later on the same guy asked about "Speero Jeero".

Must have been the same guy who asked BBC Jazz Record Requests for records by The Lonliest Monk and Fat Swallow! In my youth jazz friends of mine were intrigued when a waitress listed her record collection of current pops and included a Sonny Rollins. "What's the Sonny Rollins?" they asked. "Oh, you know," she answered,"it's one of those cowboy records." Yes, you've got it!

Maybe she was thinking about Way Out West.

Indeed she was and it sat cosily amongst her Cliff Richards, etc.

[J Larsen]

OK, this is OT but I've got to share it anyway...

A couple years ago I saw Turandot at the Met. We had very nice seats. At the first intermission, I heard the guy behind me remark to his friend: "This is really interesting... it is the first opera I've ever seen in Chinese."

[JSngry]

Does playing a four hour gig for $75.00 and leaving with less than $5.00 after paying your bar tab count?

[aparxa]

It really took me 4-5 years and as much CDs to catch that Dizzy's name was not Gillepsie

Then I quitted drinking sodas cold turkey... for beer.

[The Magnificent Goldberg]

  JSngry said:

Does playing a four hour gig for $75.00 and leaving with less than $5.00 after paying your bar tab count?

MG

[RDK]

Not specifically jazz-related, but I was in a used CD/record/video store a few months back, and some woman was looking over a shelf of DVDs and asked "What are these?"

[Tom Storer]

I was once at a concert by the Mingus Big Band and a fellow who came to buy a ticket was bewildered to learn that Mingus was not in the band because he was dead.

I don't count incorrect pronunciation as ignorance, especially abroad, but the French have a charming habit of pronouncing Dizzy Gillespie's name "Deedzy Jeelepsie." They also pronounce Bechet "Bay-shett" because they assume the last syllable should be pronounced English-style.

[Alexander]

My brother and I were acquinted with Stefon Harris (who is from the Albany area) back in the '80s when he and my brother were both in the Empire State Youth Orchestra. A couple of years ago, my brother was talking about how well Stefon was doing these days. "I heard that he's going to be recording with Miles Davis," my brother told me excitedly.

"No, he isn't." I said.

"Yes, he is. That's what I heard."

"No, you couldn't have heard that. There's no way that Stefon is recording with Miles Davis."

"Oh yeah? Why not?"

"Because Miles Davis died in 1991."

"..."

[BruceH]

  JSngry said:

Does playing a four hour gig for $75.00 and leaving with less than $5.00 after paying your bar tab count?

It counts as a tragedy.

[JSngry]

  BruceH said:

  JSngry said:

Does playing a four hour gig for $75.00 and leaving with less than $5.00 after paying your bar tab count?

It counts as a tragedy.

Then the jazz life is indeed one of tragedy for many of those who call it theirs.

[Jazzmoose]

  J Larsen said:

OK, this is OT but I've got to share it anyway...

A couple years ago I saw Turandot at the Met. We had very nice seats. At the first intermission, I heard the guy behind me remark to his friend: "This is really interesting... it is the first opera I've ever seen in Chinese."

I agree with Hot Ptah in that this board let's me know how ignorant about jazz I really am. On the other hand, it only takes one post to clue me to the fact that I know a hell of a lot more about jazz than whatever Turandot is...

[Chuck Nessa]

  Tom Storer said:

I don't count incorrect pronunciation as ignorance, especially abroad, but the French have a charming habit of pronouncing Dizzy Gillespie's name "Deedzy Jeelepsie." They also pronounce Bechet "Bay-shett" because they assume the last syllable should be pronounced English-style.

In 1968 a charming black lady walked into the JRM and asked me for Mash Kay Nido by Dittzy Gallepsie.

[tkeith]

This one was more of a brain-fart, but it's too good not to share.

My grandmother took my father to see Count Basie's band when my father was in high school. At a break, she approached Sonny Payne and was chatting him up. She said, "Where's Harry Carney tonight?" My father tried in vain to turn invisible, after a furrowed-brow pause, Payne replied, "With Duke Ellington where he's been for the past 35 years."

[Jazzmoose]