Rolling Stones gather no moss
Tradition and loyalty be damned, Jazz Fest tried to sell its fan-base down the river for an ill-conceived celebration. Alas, it didn’t work out. With genuine hope for Mick’s recovery, here is the quintessential lesson: Rolling Stones gather no moss.
—Gordon and Barbara Hodas, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Stepping Up?
The following letter is in response to the feature “The Dignity of His Sound: talking with Wynton Marsalis about the upcoming film on Buddy Bolden.” (Jazz Fest Bible 2019)—Ed
While it can be argued that Joe Oliver was aware of and most likely heard Bolden, there is no mention of that in the historical record as there is for Kid Ory, Jelly Roll, Mutt Carey and many others. Louis Armstrong’s Perdido Street home at Franklin Street, where he lived from about 1905-1911, was indeed next to Funky Butt Hall. However Bolden was sent away before the boy was six. In an interview, Armstrong admitted he had no memory of Bolden, only the comments he heard from others. It’s a pity Mr. Marsalis’ appreciation of nuance and subtlety in music and its value in that idiom does not extend to other disciplines. Also, your turn of phrase that PJ Morton “stepped up” to save the Bolden house is an odd choice of words. He “stepped up” at a blight hearing where the church’s despicable stewardship of the Bolden house resulted in $2,000 in fines and the initiation of a process which could lead to the city seizing the property if Morton does not indeed “step up.”
—John McCusker, New Orleans, Louisiana
Magical Big Easy
I recently came to visit New Orleans. It was kind of a bucket-list item. I didn’t realize how much I would fall in love with your city just from one trip. There is just something magical about The Big Easy. From its amazing people to its beautiful music. The city just invites you in and you never want to leave. New Orleans plays the music that resonates with my soul, and I would come back to it in a heart/drum beat.
—Tennille Aron, Johannesburg, South Africa
Corrections
As a result of an editing error John Swenson’s article “Sympathy for the Jazz Fest” (Jazz Fest Bible 2019), indicates that “Jumping Jack Flash” appeared on the Rolling Stones album Their Satanic Majesties Request. Of course it did not; the sentence should have read as follows:
The Rolling Stones have been a lightning rod for controversy throughout their career. During the 1960s the group’s management cultivated a dark image, the bad boy antithesis of the Beatles. Devil iconography appeared on the cover of the single release of “Jumping Jack Flash,” the title of the album Their Satanic Majesty’s Request and the theme of “Sympathy for the Devil.”
Our calculations were way off in Geraldine Wyckoff’s article “The Dignity of His Sound: talking to Wynton Marsalis about Buddy Bolden.” (Jazz Fest Bible 2019). Bolden was born in 1877 and died in 1931 which would make him 54 years of age, not 32 as indicated.
We also regret the spelling errors found in our Jazz Fest Cubes. For your amusement (but not ours) they are Trumpet Maphia and The Dobbie Brothers but are correct in our A to Z.
—Ed.
