The term 'modernist' was originally used to refer to the (generally
smart) American modern jazz musicians I believe - and the term was
certainly used in the media before Colin MacInnes wrote 'Absolute
Beginners' (though not necessarily referring to Soho's sharply attired
modern jazz fans).
I am informed that 'modernists' (in the latter sense) actually appeared
in the early 50s - and that the roots stretch back to the late 40s jazz
scene.
As far as I'm concerned 'mod' was dead by the time Marc Feld appeared in
Town magazine in 1962.
Fortunately the ideology lives on in a select few (I'd include myself
amongst them).
As for mod music - no such thing. Or if there *is* such a thing it is
cool jazz and early R'n'B: Fats Domino, John Lee Hooker, Ray Charles,
Miles Davis, Sarah Vaughan...
In the same way there is no mod 'uniform' - but one can safely say that
'a dark mohair 3-button single-breasted bumfreezer Italian suit with a
white cotton club-collar shirt (with tab or collar pin) and knitted tie
plus Italian basket-weave shoes' typifys the mod's taste in clothes.
As far as I'm concerned you are a mod or you aren't. You can't be 'into'
mod - or a semi-mod or something.....
'mod' is completely separate to any particular genre of music, type of
scooter or style of clothing. It encompasses all of these and much more
- but being into R'n'B doesn't make you at all 'mod'.
I personally think that anyone who says something along the lines of
'mod is about scooters' or 'mod is about the music' does not have the
VAGUEST notion of what 'mod' is.
Must get back to work - but I hope that settles all the silly bickering.
- Paul (official London 'face')
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