Klarinet Archive - Posting 000144.txt from 2005/05

From: Bill Hausmann <bhausmann1@-----.net>
Subj: RE: [kl] Possible racist views in music titles (was: Rubank
Date: Sat, 07 May 2005 00:31:38 -0400

At 02:12 PM 5/6/2005 -0500, Ed Lacy wrote:
>...So, to finally get to my question, what is it about "Lassus Trombone"
>that African-American people should take offense at?

The only POSSIBLE source of offense might be the assumption that the word
"'Lassus," substituted for the "Molasses," was used in imitation of black
ethnic dialect.

Interesting aside: Glenn Miller, when exhorting the trombones in his band
to play passages with cleaner articulation, would tell them to "Get the
"lassus" out of it!" This was presumably in reference to the smears in the
Fillmore novelty, rather than the sticky substance itself or any racial
slur. (reference: George T. Simon's biography "Glenn Miller and his
Orchestra")

Bill Hausmann

If you have to mic a saxophone, the rest of the band is TOO LOUD!

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