[Dixielandjazz] late nite Jazz Clubs

[James Kashishian]

While this has little to do with jazz, I will answer Bob Ringwald's
questions publicly as some may find a different "cultura" interesting.  


>When you mention the late hours that you work & the time schedule that
>people eat dinner & go out in Spain, I always wonder, when do you sleep
&
>when does daytime work get done?

The Spanish are a very outgoing people.  They do not invite people to
their homes, rather they meet in public places, such as bars.  A Spanish
bar is not like an American bar or even a British pub.  It is a place
where drinks are served, but so is food....gobs of it along the
countertop to be placed on a plate at the asking.  This is the famous
"tapa".  Children are of abundance in these places.  Noise level is VERY
high.  If you see a really crowded bar next door to an empty bar, you
will go into the crowded one, and yell over the top of people's head to
get your drink/tapa.  A running tab is made, sometimes in chalk on the
bar where you are standing, and you pay when you are ready to leave.
The crowd at the bar can be 5 or 6 people thick in a good place!  Most
people don't sit.  Costs more, and you don't get the crowded fun.  

Everything in Spain is done at an exact hour.  Our band freaks out if
they must eat dinner at an hour they don't consider dinnertime due to a
weird concert setup.  Lunch is 2 to 4 pm, and on weekends 3 to 5ish.
Dinner is 10 to 12 at night.  This is a very light meal, unless eating
out with friends.  Eggs & sausage (chorizo) with some salad would be a
normal dinner.  The lunch is a HUGE affair.  Time around the table after
the meal is essential & is called "sobre mesa" (over the table).  This
is when the world's affairs are settled.  Coffee (tiny cup with very
black stuff in it!), brandy, cigars accompany this talk.  

In between meals is a period for a pastime carried out by virtually all
ages.  A stroll is done between 5 & 7 pm.  This is normally accompanied
with a stop to a bar for drinks/tapas.

When do they sleep.  Dunno!  Only been here for 37 yrs!  Night clubbing
is normally from 2 am to 7 am for young people.  Jazz clubs are from 9
to midnight for those that have problems with the neighbors, and
midnight to 3am for those that have no problem.  (Tonight our gig is
from 12:30 to 2:30....arriving back home about 3:30, and bed, after a
shower, snack/beer, and some tv...around 5am.)

>Does the government offices open late?  How can secretaries & business
men
>function if they stay up until 4:00 & 5:00 a.m.?

Absenteeism is a big problem in Spain!

>When do stores such as grocery, clothing, etc open & close?

Most shops are 9:30 or 10 to 2, and 4:30/5:00 to 8pm.

>Do they have cocktail hours like they do in the states, Happy Hour from
>5:00 - 7:00 p.m., etc?

This is an imported fad that is showing some interest, but not normally
seen.
Spanish happy hour is all day, starting with the first drink before
lunch around 1pm, followed by a bottle of red wine, brandy, for
lunch....followed by beer/wine, etc. during the stroll, followed by more
wine for dinner, and after dinner drinks!   It's a jolly country!  :>

And, before you say it...NO!, you don't see people falling around drunk.
Drinking is always accompanied with food, and they handle it all very
well.  I find it hard to go into a business meeting (I sell those big
audio mixing jobbers to recording studios & TV/radio & have to go to
some pretty hairy business meetings which always include lunch & lots of
booze) after a big lunch.  I toy with my wine, and manage to make it
through the afternoon that way.  The Spaniards don't seem to have any
trouble with it.

When do I sleep?  When gigging on a week day, between 3 or 4 am until 9
am.  I tend to go to the gym around 3 pm to 5 pm, and have a 15 min nap
after the shower there.  Weekends, if I'm gigging, I will sleep into
around 11am, light lunch/gym/nap, etc.  We are doing 2 steady weekday
gigs now.  I tend to work from 10am to 3pm. (grab a quick bite at 1pm),
then a bit more from 5pm to 8pm.  Mostly, either office work or mixing
in my studio.

Last night...no gig, so ate out with the wife (9pm until 11:30).  In bed
by 2am, got up at 11am!!!!
Tonight, leave for gig at 11pm.  Bed by 5am.  

Jim (I'm 61, and feeling GREAT) Kash