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From: Jean Boyd
Date: October 16, 2003
In the spirit of friendly discussion, it has been my contention from the beginning of my work with western swing that jazz is not a particular repertory or instrumentation, but a process that can be applied to any music. Of course, we are quick to point out that Beethoven's "Moonlight Sonata" is as far from jazz as possible, because it is completely notated. But, if someone were to apply the jazz process to that piece of music--personal interpretation, improvisation, certain trademarks of rhythmic design--then, as far as I am concerned, it is a jazz performance, whether Beethoven wrote it as a jazz composition or not. With that said, "Under the Double Eagle" can be jazz if the jazz process is applied to it. The question than is whether in the recorded version, Bill Boyd applied that process to the tune.