To contact this jazz band and tell them to stop using this word?

[FauxWhiteOrchid]

There’s a local jazz event taking place soon and the bio describes the band as “Dixieland”. I remember the Dixie Chicks apologising and changing their name.

The word derives from the American South and is also used in a Confederate song. Here’s the full Wikipedia page for “Dixie”. Basically, its usage is racist.

I was surprised to see the word at all but also not surprised as I live in a very white Reform/Tory voting area.

AIBU to contact the band and ask them to change their description? Or leave them alone? I know what the reaction will be if I do contact them: just music blah blah been a traditional word for this style of jazz blah blah world gone mad woke blah joy thief etc. But I see no reason to use this word in this day and age.

WWYD?

I'll say it again. It's a style of jazz started by black people in New Orleans. It was very popular in the early 20th century. Other forms of jazz have developed from it.
Secondly, I am always astonished that people know nothing about history.

OP @FauxWhiteOrchid i am mixed race with a Black Caribbean parent

that doesn’t make me the police of all racism, but it does give me a perspective as someone who suffered a bit of racism as a child

YABVU

Very.

I wish people would stop with this armchair word policing, and put their energy into solving racism in real life.

This!

Sang a cover version.

The only people who are offended are the kind of people who go out looking for something to be offended by. OP needs to wind her neck in.

I think most people would think of it as a style of jazz, because it is. The name may have former racist connotations but I think that could be applied to a great many things. It's difficult enough to keep up with the constantly evolving terms we keep inventing to prevent us from offending anyone. But sometimes it can have a negative effect and in this case I believe it's important that the roots of ani important musical genre should remain in place to preserve the history behind it. What exactly is the point of trying to pretend something didn't happen by changing it's name. Do we want to live in a world with no history because it's been re-written? At what point do you outlaw the music itself because of it's roots.
Most countries have a shameful past, (ours has that and a shameful present too, thinking about the right wing thugs behaviour of the last few days) Pretending it didn't exist is not a healthy way forward in my opinion.

Exactly! A while back l recall (l think on MN) an objection to Honky Tonk as well.

This!

This is about Dixieland Jazz not the word dixie. Are you like the sixth formers my GS knows who think Montenegro should be renamed because half the word is offensive?

I'm sorry, though well intentioned, you are being unreasonable, Trad Jazz is a form of music pioneered by black America, predominantly in the south. One of the earliest recordings was by a band who called themselves the original Dixieland band (or something like that) and so any recent band with Dixieland in the name playing Trad jazz is effectively a tribute band. Usually harmless old guys who admire and want to keep alive the creativity of black American musicians. Yes the music came about in socially deprived times, but it is just about the music. Take that away and you're taking away an important part of history (musically speaking) and the contributions by a particular ethnic group. If we seek to rewrite history and the unpleasantness of the past, then everything starts looking very white...

The story should be that these black American musicians made amazing music with beat up instruments, and little or no music training (mostly) that persists today. Celebrate it, don't berate it.

In a country where everyone and anyone is being offended leave them alone.

I agree with @Genevieva post above - I read your link and there's not really a lot of suggest what you mean is offensive. It comes from music associated with areas in the Mason-Dixon.

I'm not sure why the Tories and British politics need to be pulled into what black Americans may or may not find offensive. They're a whole different country. Americans don't like us saying we're going out for Chinese, or using the word uppity either <shrug>

I’m really surprised that 84% have said you’re unreasonable. I don’t think it would be unreasonable to contact them and just explain the origins of the word and maybe that Dixie chicks changed their name also. I’m sure it can be done in a non confrontational way. If I was a band member and I didn’t know the historical origins I would absolutely want to know.

The word is Dixieland which is a style of jazz. It is not the bands name. It would be similar asking them not to use pop, or punk rock, or rap as a word.

Tell OP, not me, why did Dixie chicks need to change their name if it is the style of music?

Well, they weren't the "Dixieland Chicks"...

They didn't need to change their name - they chose to.

They also weren't called the "Dixieland Chicks" nor do they play jazz music.

@NoDought I quoted you because of your post. The fact you were surprised so many disagreed with the OP. And talking about getting a band name changed when it was nothing to do with a band name but a style of music. I think (after all those posts) the OP realises she's got it wrong. Now you do too. (And I know that sounds snarky but I don't mean to be).

@FauxWhiteOrchid I didn’t know anything about the origin of the word Dixie or it’s racist connotations until your thread.

So I googled it to learn more. The more I learn the more I think YANBU.

This genre of jazz was not called Dixieland jazz by the African American musicians. It came about because of the name of a band of white musicians called: ‘The Original Dixieland Jazz Band.’

The following extract convinces me more and more that the name Dixieland is not ok to use.

By the turn of the century, many New Orleans bands were playing in a collective improvisational style. One of them was the Superior Band which included Bunk Johnson.
The Original Dixieland Jazz Band, a white group, copied Superior’s style and was the first to record (1917).

Is it like golly wouldn’t be offensive but gollywog would?

Isn't that what posting on an open forum is about? Other members are not universally obliged to agree with you ... that's not how discussion/debate works.

This thread is about types of music. This is not about racism (no matter how hard you try to make it). To copy/paste a pp

It's a particular type of jazz, originally from New Orleans, and made popular by Louis Armstrong, among others. Just as there are other types such as swing, cool, gypsy or be bop.

One of my favourite types of jazz is Trad Jazz, often referred to as Dixieland/Dixie jazz. There are quite a few bands here in the UK I like, but the majority in the US, mainly south, we travel to New Orleans each year for a festival and I can tell you the bands are mainly black, a peppering of white musicians, but mainly black. Now are you saying they don't know what the word means? I am certain they would have shelved it if they saw a link to slavery.
I have never heard such a strange statement as you have made.

This was a genuine question as I have clearly misunderstood it and want to understand it. Copying and pasting the origins of the music doesn’t explain how OP was concerned was racist, also doesn’t explain why Dixie chics felt the need to change their name but if I’m honest I don’t know how bothered I am about knowing now.

I take it you haven't read the rest of the very interesting and informative posts that are in this thread by other posters. They have already explained it (several times). If you still can't understand then I cannot help you. I only responded to your post which had wrong information on it in case others skipped to the end.