[Dixielandjazz] ASCONA FESTIVAL

[Stephen Barbone]

Hi List mates:

Jon Erik Kellso sent this report on the Ascona Jazz Festival. A great
read and testament to the fact that Ascona is one of the finest OKOM
fesitvals in the World. Talk about "Quality". As Jon says, "Go if you
can". (2004 that is)

It is posted to the DJML with his permission.

Read and enjoy.
Steve Barbone

The New Orleans Jazz Fest in Ascona (Switzerland) runs for 10 days, and
always has many great trad/swing/mainstream bands/musos from all over
the
world.

This was my 4th time playing there, and I had a fantastic time, as
always.
I was playing with Dan Barrett's International Swing Party, a band put
together for that fest a few years ago, and which has not played as a
band
elsewhere. It's comprised of:
Dan (CA)-'bone,
me (NJ)-trpt,
Scott Robinson (NJ)-Tenor and C-melody saxes and Clarinet (this
year--last
year he also played some cornet, and maybe other horns, can't
remember--he
plays so many so well),
a terrific young pianist from Italy named Rossano Sportiello,
Eddie Erickson(CA)-guitar/banjo/vocals,
Joel Forbes(NY)--bass,
Ed Metz, Jr. (FL)-drums,
and Becky Kilgore (OR)-vocals and some guitar...not a bad band!!

'Twas a real joy and honor to play with them.

At Ascona...each year they have a theme, for which there are some
special concerts planned. This year it was Bixology, in honor of Bix's
100th.

They (director Karl Heinz Ern--next year it will be a new guy in charge,
Nicholas...um...can't place his last name right now) wanted Giordano to
bring his Nighthawks, but VG decided it was too much of a hassle to
shlep all his stuff (he brings to gigs his bass sax, tuba, string bass,
old drum set, banjo, huge library of arrangements, banners, stands,
stand lights, etc.) and shlep to different venues for different sets,
and he's just not crazy about travelling, I think, and he doesn't want
to perform on with borrowed stuff.

Sooo, there was one big concert with a big band from Italy (I believe it
was called the Milano Jazz Orch) augmented by strings that played
transcriptions of Whiteman/Goldkette stuf...it was scheduled to feature
Sudhalter, but since he couldn't make it due to his stroke (I hear from
his sister who was there that he is recovering quicker than he expected)
Tom Pletcher played. Tom was also scheduled to be there, and played some
other sets, and sounded splendid.,amazing since he only plays once every
few months or so. Tom seems to have recovered fully from the plane
accident, thankfully. It wasn't the Nighthawks, but they did pretty
well. Complete with an extraneous guy conducting out front. Heh heh.

I filled in for Suds on a 4 trumpet tribute to Bix concert on July 4th,
one of the other main events. The others were Randy Sandke, Randy
Reinhart, and Pletcher. Lino Patruno, an Italian rhythm
guitarist/bandleader/writer of the Bix movie and Bob Wilbur put those
sets together...faked stuff...among other things there were 2 tunes for
each of the trumpeters and a big gang shag at the end on Royal Garden
with Bix's outchorus arranged by Wilbur for the 4 trumpet/cornets being
the only scraps of paper on that concert...we had to hold them as we
played as there were no stands around...the Italian Big Band brought
their own. Davern was on it as well, so they did some Summit
Reunion-ing, as they did on some other sets. Always nice to hear them
and play with them. I played Skylark for my ballad feature, as it was
supposedly written for Bix by Hoagy, and maybe originally titled Bix
Licks. Dave Sager-'bone, Howard Alden-guitar, Keith Nichols-piano, Andy
Stein-fiddle, and Joel Forbes and Ed Metz were the others on it. All
played well, of course, and it was very well-received. Great audiences
there, nice mix of age groups, happy it wasn't exclusively white hair
out there.

There was another Bix concert which featured many of those same
people--folks who were on the Soundtrack of the (Italian) Bix
movie...Pletcher, Sager, Wilbur, Davern, Nichols, Stein, Lino, Joel,
Walter Ganda-drums, and the excellent Swedish bass saxist Frans Sjostrom
(imagine  umlauts over the "o's" there). I recently played with him in
Sweden for a week, a real pleasure.

OK, I just dug out my program to help jog my memory--I haven't even
unpacked yet, as I went directly to Amsterdam for 6 days after the
Ascona fest, returned Sunday, did a recording session that night with
the Nighthawks for a Martin Scorcese film to be titled "The Aviator,"
starring Leo DiCaprio as Howard Hughes, w/Alec Baldwin and Goldie's
daughter Kate Hudson--played some nice 20's stuff, Rufus Wainwright sang
one...but I digress, sorry-- sooo, some of the other musicians of note
that were in Ascona were:

Warren Vache Jr. Quintet, w/Alden, Bill Easley-tenor sax, Joel Forbes
(yes, they kept him busy there--a truly great bassist), and Giampaolo
Biagi-drums...they sounded wonderful of course.

Leroy Jones and his band--New Orleans guys: Craig Klein-'bone, Paul
Longstreth-p, Mitchell Player-bass, and a guy I heard play with the
touring Pres. Hall Band in recent years on drums, can't think of his
name--Bunchie is his nickname I think. Fun stuff.

Lars Edegran's New Orleans Show: Duke Heitger swinging mightily on
trumpet,
Evan Christopher playing his butt off on clarinet, Franz Jackson still
belting it out on tenor and fun vocals at 90 years old!, Freddie
Lonzo-tearing it up on trombone, James Singleton--great bassist, Stanley
Joseph-fine drummer, the aptly nicknamed Big Al Carson-strong vocalist,
the wonderful Topsy Chapman-vocals, and Juanita Brooks--another fine
vocalist.

Keith Nichols' Blue Rhythm Makers: Matthias Seuffert--the young reed
phenomenon-from Germany-now living in England, Rene Hagmann-excellent
cornetist who also plays alto and 'bone quite well, the aforementioned
Frans swinging on bass sax,  Martin Wheatley-excellent Brit guitarist,
Christoph Wackerbarth--very nice trombonist, and Jack Durot--nice
drummer. reed player Frank Roberscheuten's Swing Cats, from
Holland--energetic and swinging

Paris Washboard--fun

drummer Trevor Richards Trio--w/ Matthias and pianist extraordinaire
David
Boeddinghaus--very nice

terrific clarinet-tenor player Englebert "Angel" Wrobel's Swing
Society--from Germany--really swinging combo--I will tour with them in
Germany this fall--can't wait!

Dutch College Swing Band--didn't get to hear them

Norman Emberson All-Stars--ditto

Paolo Tomelleri Big Band from Italy--excellent Basie-esque band, was
featured with them one night, fun

there was a "Lino Patruno presents: Remembering Joe Venuti" concert with

Mauro Carpi-violin & Giancarlo Colangelo on bass sax, I was unable to
attend

Jim Galloway, excellent soprano saxist living in Toronto, from Scotland,
guested with us and others, always fun

Candy Kane is a huge (literally) ex-porno star who sings the blues--R &
B
style. I had to go just to take a peak. 2 songs was enough, that's all
the "I'm a big fat momma" songs I can handle.

Nina Buck of New Orleans brought her cook and had a Palm Court Jazz Cafe

restaurant venue at the fest, a nice addition.

Bob Barnard, outstanding Aussie cornetist was also there as a
free-agent, always a joy to hear and play with

Marty Grosz & the Hot Puppies w/Reinhart, Roberscheuten and
others--great
of course

There were bunches of other groups there, as well, but these are the
ones
that come to mind now in my jet-lagged stupor.

There were also scheduled jam sessions (a house band scheduled for each
night) from midnight 'til as late as 5 am--in a club that is also a, um,
BROTHEL. They have a few there. No, I did not partake. Yes, I played my
trumpet there.

I just went to the website for the fest  <Dan Barrett Ensemble-
Pres.url>
<www.jazzascona.ch> and was quite pleased to see the following headline:

"Dan Barrett Ensemble: Press' First Choice for Favorite Group

As in years past, journalists attending the festival (about 100 this
year) were polled as to their favourite bands and soloists at New
Orleans Jazz Ascona. Of the 41 groups, Dan Barrett's band was proclaimed
best of 2003, with Leroy Jones and Warren Vache's Quintets and Lars
Edegran's New Orleans All-Stars coming up as second choice. Close
runners-up were Keith Nichols' Blue Rhythm Makers and the Italian Vocal
Quartet. Among 265 musicians present, the favourites were trumpeter
Leroy Jones, Clarinetist Kenny Davern (in fine form this year),
clarinettist Evan Christopher and the excellent Italian pianist Rossano
Sportiello."

OK--I've taken up more than enough (cyber-) space here, but YOU ASKED!
It
was a lot of fun, and it is an extraordinarily beautiful town on Lago
Maggiore, near Italy and the Alps--go if you can.

cheers,
--Kellso