[Dixielandjazz] Who wants to go to a festival?

[Sam Meerkin/Evelyne Perks]

Merry Xmas to all on the DJML.  I've been lurking for some time now & as a former attendee of the Terrifvic Festival and many others, I lament the demise of some very well run & worthwhile festivals of OKOM.  I have wondered if I have anything to contribute.  Here in Oz we have the same problem of too many festivals, too narrow a selection of jazz idioms at these festivals & the constant battle of making them affordable for all and yet attracting the best talent.  People know value when they see it.  They will come from far & wide if they see an attractive deal.  The key seems to be subsidising the costs of these festivals with sponsors' money.  How do we attract those who may want to sell something or convey a message to the type of people who attend our festivals?  We do have disposable income, we do have health needs, we eat, we do vote & we clothe ourselves.  How do we get the celebrities we've discussed to attract media attention to OKOM to make potential advertisers think they'll get some mileage from being associated with a festival or two?  There's some thing to ponder over Xmas.
  I'm off to the annual Australian Jazz Convention from Xmas Day 'til New Year's Eve in Forbes, an outback New South Wales town that's about to be 'turned on it's ear' by a couple of hundred bands, street parade, non stop music day & night in pubs & clubs and the good, the bad & the ugly, young & old many of whom will have their first taste of OKOM.  This is our 58th and many future jazz careers will be born right there.  It costs little to attend the week & nobody gets paid, but what a fun time!! 
Back on the list- Jan 2nd 2004.
Overheard at a DJML F2F in the lobby of a hotel.
"Jazznuts...boasting....in an open foyer."
Best wishes, Sam
      


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