Set forth below is the fifty-fifth "Texas Shout" column. It first appeared in the October 1994 issue of the West Coast Rag, now known as The Syncopated Times. The following note was added when the column was reprinted in the late 90s.
Note: Because the text has not been updated, I would like to make a few observations regarding the "hat" point discussed therein. Since the phenomenal success on the festival circuit of the excellent but relatively short-lived Uncle Yoke's Black Dogs, I have seen a number of post-Yoke combos on the scene dressed in similar "swamp" attire, including the hats. Also, some of the currently popular small-band swing/jump units captivating the swing-dance crowd sport headgear.
I have never seen or heard a word of comment, pro or con, regarding the chapeaus of these bands (most of which play little, if any, Dixieland). If it's O.K. for these popular groups to wear hats, why do we have to put up with all the moaning and groaning whenever a Dixieland musician goes on stage with something on his/her head? Aren't we long overdue to give this so-called "funny-hat Dixieland" cliche a rest?
Also relevant to the following discussion is the invention in recent years of the term "okom" (sometimes printed "OKOM"), short for "our kind of music.” It hardly n
The full run of “Texas Shout” has been collected into a lavishly illustrated trade paperback entitled Texas Shout: How Dixieland Jazz Works. This book is available @ $20.00 plus $2.95 shipping from Tex Wyndham. On request, Tex will autograph the book and add a personalized note (be sure to tell him to whom the note should be addressed).