THE RUMBOTHAM SAGA SIR.—So Kenneth Allsop has chosen to speak
again on the subject of jazz! Again he succeeds in wedging both his 'pedal extremities' (as the late Fats Waller would have said) very firmly in his articulate mouth.
Would that Mr Allsop knew as much about jazz as he does about writing, in which he is both amusing and knowledgeable.
His facts about jazz musicians and jazz forMs appear to have been culled from a few out-of-date textbooks on the subject and his opinions show a lack of current awareness of present happenings.
So Alcide Pavageau. bassist with the George Lewis band, played with the legendary Buddy Bolden! This is a colourful and interesting point but com- pletely untrue, as a short conversation with Aleide would quickly prove.
Similar chats with Alex Welsh (misspelt Walsh) and Mick Mulligan, both of whom are accused of regarding Armstrong as a deviationist, would give Mr. Allsop a new insight into these musicians' opinions. Both lead bands whose style may be de- fined as 'Dixieland' (for the want of a better word) and their music is several stages removed from the George Lewis/Ken Colyer school.
I suggest that Mr. Allsop refrain from writing any more articles on jazz until he is a little more certain of his facts.
A short respite would be invaluable as he obviously has a great deal of research and listening to catch up on.
In the passing, I would say that I enjoyed his parody on the Bunk Johnson cult. This was a delight- ful piece, debunking an overrated era in jazz history.
It is here, in Sam Rumbotham country, that Mr. Allsop has his feet planted firmly on the ground— in the realm of factasey.—Yours faithfully, 23 Shauldharn Street, WI
JOHN MARTIN
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