[Dixielandjazz] Bix Festival 2003

[Kurt]

Well I'm back after a whirl-wind time at the 2003 Bix Beiderbecke Memorial
Jazz Festival in Davenport, Iowa, which was Bix' home town.  This year's
festival was a celebration of the anniversary of Bix's birth 100 years ago. 

I'd like to share my experience with you in hopes that it inspires you to
attend future Bix festivals (always the last FULL weekend in July).

The 2003 Bix Festival Bands: Bill Allred's Classic Jazz Band (from
everywhere); Bix Beiderbecke Memorial Jazz Band (from New Jersey); The Bix
Beiderbecke Youth Jazz Band (from Davenport), Blue Street Jazz Band (from
Fresno, CA); Bob Crosby's Bobcats (from everywhere); Josh Duffee's Orchestra
(Davenport); Kinda Dixie Jazz Band (from Las Vegas); New Wolverine Jazz
Orchestra (from Sydney, Australia); Ralph Norton's Varsity Ramblers (from
Peoria, IL); Titan Hot 7 (from everywhere); and the West End Jazz Band (from
Chicago).

WOW - what a lineup!  I can honestly say that Rich Johnson, the Bix
Festival's musical director, hit a home run with this year's bands.  A great
variety of styles and personalities.

I know many of the festival musicians, so I hung around with them in
hospitality areas and after-hours jam sessions.  I also enjoyed meeting many
new musician friends and made some great contacts for my Good Times Jazz
Concerts Series.  Everyone I met was a real class act, both personally and
professionally.

I want to thank Festival directors Ray Voss and Rich Johnson for showing me
a great time.  (By the way, when they found out I had a strong back, they
asked and I happily agreed to help move a piano to the Bix gravesite for the
special Saturday morning ceremony).

I especially enjoyed spending quality time with festival musicians Bill and
John Allred, Ed Metz, Trevor Rippingale and the guys in the New Wolverine
Jazz Orchestra (they talk funny), Warren Saur, Vince Giordano, Lea Bezin,
Kirk Prebyl, Terry Myers (great reed man who happens to have grown up in Des
Moines), Josh Duffee, Ralph Norton, Bob Draga and others.

A funny thing happened - Bob Draga gave a clarinet clinic at a local music
store on Wednesday night.  To publicize the event, the music store put a
message on their outside letter board saying: "Welcome Bob Draga Clarinet &
Jazz Clinic 7/23 6:30".  Well, some of the Titan Hot 7 band members decided
late Friday night to make a change to the sign.  Keep in mind that this sign
stands about 15 feet in the air and in order to change it, the boys in the
band had to stand on each others shoulders until one could finally reach the
letters.  It must have been quite a site.  

When they were done, they had switched the first letter of Bob's first and
last name.  The end result was that Dob Braga was in town.  The sign stayed
up all weekend on one of the busiest streets in Davenport, which also
happened to be across the street from the host hotel.  I think maybe those
guys spend a bit too much time in the hospitality area earlier in the
evening.

My Party Gras Dixieland Band (Des Moines, IA) played a private pre-Bix party
on Thursday, July 24 for 250 members of the Outing Club (an old mansion
turned into a very exclusive private club).  The weather was perfect and the
dinner was held on the front lawn.  My band set up on the front steps of the
stately building.  We played many Bix tunes to their delight.  Lots of
dancing and good times.  

By the time I got my band equipment packed up it was 11:00 pm and I was off
to attend my first Bix Festival event at the historic Col Ballroom.  Still
had time to catch the Bix Beiderbecke Memorial Jazz Band.  This is the band
from New Jersey whose performance at Bix' grave site back in 1971 inspired
locals to start the festival.  There was a good crowd still gathered by the
time I arrived.  I understand that earlier in the evening it was wall to
wall people having a great time.  

The festival is spread out over four venues and each band rotates from each
site to the next.  So, you can stay at any one site and see all of the
bands, but I prefer to see how each band adapts to each venue's unique
setting.  

1. LeClaire Park - In my opinion, this is the best site as far as aesthetics
go.  It is on the banks of the Mississippi River and holds thousands of
people.  Lots of food vendors, beer, souvenirs, etc.  The only drawback is
that the Iowa weather can change from great to "let's get out of this rain"
on a moments notice.  Luckily the weather Friday and Saturday was perfect!
Sunday morning there were high winds, tornado warnings and light sprinkles.
I had to get on the road back to Des Moines at 1:00 and there were overcast
skies at that time.  I haven't heard how the rest of the day went
weather-wise.

Iowa Public Television was filming the LeClaire Park bands for a December,
2003 "Bix Lives" Public TV show.  Check your local Public TV listings in
December.

2. Danceland - A very historic ballroom that Bix and Paul Whiteman played at
a number of times.  A beautiful building with horrible acoustics.

3. The Col Ballroom - Also loaded with history (Bix played here too).  Good
acoustics and a great dance floor.

4. The Davenport Holiday Inn - This is the Festival headquarters and is
where the first festival planning meeting was held back in 1971.  There is a
large "L" shaped ballroom that hold over 700.  Many people spend the entire
festival here because of the air conditioned comfort and excellent
acoustics.  As great as this venue is, I still prefer to experience the
bands at LeClaire Park.

There was an impromptu jam session held during a down time Saturday
afternoon at the Holiday Inn.  It was started by two great ladies (members
of DJML) from Oregon who were traveling through on their way to New Orleans.
One played bass sax and the other played washboard and trumpet.  I sat in on
washboard.  They made lots of friends at the festival. 

The Bix gravesite ceremony on Saturday morning was really something special.
A large crowd gathered at the Beiderbecke family plot to pay their respects
to Bix.  The Bix Beiderbecke Memorial Jazz Band played a mini concert and
many Beiderbecke family members attended, including a relative named Bix
Beiderbecke.  They say "Bix Lives" and it's true.

At one point in the ceremony, the MC said he thought he heard Bix's father
speaking with a heavy German accent from the grave saying, "Enough with the
noise already, play a polka!"

The highlight of the Festival for me was the after-hours jam session that
lasted until 4:00 AM Sunday morning (the hotel staff finally
shut us down).  The best of the best musicians were there and it was a truly
remarkable experience for the musicians and audience members as well.

After the session broke up, Ralph Norton invited me to take a spin around
Davenport in his 1928 Studebaker roadster - top down.  What a thrill talking
about Bix and hoping the police wouldn't spot us.)  I finally got to bed at
6:00 AM.

Unfortunately, I missed the Blue Street Jazz Band Sunday gospel service held
at the Beiderbecke family's church, First Presbyterian.  I heard it was
great.

This was the 32nd Bix Beiderbecke Memorial Jazz Festival, and by the looks
of the large crowds at every venue, it will be around for many years to
come. I saw lots of younger people (20 to 40) at the LeClaire Park and Col
Ballroom venues.  That's a good sign for the future of this music.

Louis Armstrong once said, "Ain't none of 'em played like him yet" when
referring to the horn players that came after Bix.  Well some of 'em came
close at this year's Bix Beiderbecke Memorial Jazz Festival.  Don't miss it
next year.

 
Kurt Bowermaster
Bowermaster Group
Publishing - Entertainment - Events

1529 41st Street
Des Moines, IA  50311

Phone: (515) 251-7602
Fax: (515) 270-2763
E-Mail: bowermastergroup at qwest.net