[Dixielandjazz] Dancing - pro or con?

[John Farrell]

Pat Cooke said :

>    When dancers sit one out, or are not actually dancing, they talk.  And
> they try to talk over the music.  They are simply not interested in
anything
> that is not danceable;  and there were always a number of them sitting one
> out, trying to shout over the music.  To them it is more of a social
> gathering than a cultural event.  I, and the rest of the listening
audience,
> found them to be most annoying.

During my one and only visit to New Orleans, Steve Pistorius (great pianner
player) picked me up and took me to a jazz club located well away from the
French Quarter
tourist traps. The resident band was called the New Orleans Repertory
something-or-other, the large room was packed to the rafters and as each
number struck up everybody, but everybody got up and danced beautifully. In
particular I
remember one gorgeous high steppin' blonde gal strutting her
stuff who I later learned was a ballet dancer.

While the music was playing nobody was a noisy pest, everybody obviously
enjoyed themselves without interfering with the pleasure of others, if
anybody was alcoholically over-served (love that Ingle
expression!) they kept it a secret. It was an unforgettable experience.

BTW, if you like a dram or two don't stay at the New Orleans Howard Johnson
on North Rampart
as I did for seven long days - it is a temperance establishment, a policy
which they
enforce with the utmost vigour. Other than that the only downside to my NO
visit was that I had my first, and certainly my last encounter with grits
for breakfast - beats me why people eat the stuff, it is quite disgusting.

John Farrell
stridepiano@tesco.net
http://homepages.tesco.net/~stridepiano/midifiles.htm