[Dixielandjazz] Breda Jazz Festival

[Elazar Brandt]

Shalom Jazz Fans,

Here's my promised musings about the festival in Breda.

This was my first time at a festival outside of the US. I was therefore not sure what to expect, but I went hoping for good music in
a colorful setting, with interesting people, food and drinks available. The festival was set mostly outdoors on temporary stages,
each with a huge sound system. The stages were placed mostly in the old center of town, now a pedestrian mall free from vehicle
traffic. My first two complaints are that there was no place to sit and listen, and the amplification was way -- I mean WAY -- over
the top. So not only was the sound distorted and even painful if you were in the line of fire of the speakers, but the venues
conflicted with one another, as they were too close together.

OK, so the festival was free and open to the public, it still seemed to me that the stages could have been set in such a way that
some chairs could have been placed, and/or they could have made room for dancing. But instead, there was no place to stand where you
were not in somebody's way. And as the evening wore on and more and more people were under the effects of the local beer and
spirits, well, it got quite annoying to try to find a place to stand or sit and enjoy the music without being jostled or trampled by
the crowd.

So we figure, there were supposed to be a number of bands wandering around the center of town and playing unplugged wherever the
spirit moved them (I think that meant, wherever someone gave them some free beer!) I prefer the unplugged sound anyway, so my
friends and I went in search of these elusive strolling bands. We saw a couple of them coming or going, either before or after they
played, but rarely did we succeed in finding one that was actually performing. And in the end, the ones we found were in the crowded
center, playing in front of the already overcrowded stages that were between their scheduled performances.

There were fine restaurants galore. But finding something to eat was another story. The ones in the center by the stages, if you
were lucky enough to find a seat and a table, were not serving food outside, but only drinks. Inside, you couldn't hear the music.
If you found a restaurant outside the immediate center stage area, there was the same problem, only usually there was not a band
around anyway. Seems to me the strolling bands could have covered the territory better and given more people a fighting chance to
enjoy the show.

I have to say, by the middle of the evening, around 10PM or so, there were so many young people drinking and making noise at the
music venues (their attention was not on the music, but on the national soccer team) that my friends and I began to be afraid to
stay in the area for fear that some of these groups might get out of control. So we left.

We returned Sunday morning for the Gospel concert. It was one of several events that you had to pay for. It was held in the stone
cathedral. I thought the acoustics should have been fine for the event without amplification -- that's what those buildings were
designed for -- but again they had amplification way out of proportion with the need. And instead of a jazz band with some featured
soloists, they had 2 electric keyboards, drums, electric bass and a large gospel choir. I'd have sold my soul for a horn or two. For
my taste the program was overproduced, not the down home gospel I'm used to at American festivals. The reverb in the building was
overpowering, and you could not hear the words of the songs. The performers looked like they were having a good time. The audience
didn't respond much to it.

Afterwards, there was a two hour hiatus before the next scheduled performance, so the town was quiet. At least you could find a seat
and eat and drink something. One strolling band came by, and while they were playing, a Cuban band setting up on a nearby stage
decided to play their CD over their PA system. On the planet I come from, musicians don't do that to one another. But these guys
sure did, and they didn't shut it off until someone went and hollered.

I had to leave early in the afternoon to make my flight back home. So unfortunately, that was my experience at Breda. We did hear
some good music, but it was a frustrating event, hard to enjoy to its full potential. My observation is that the wandering bands
were the ones who wore nice costumes, worked the crowds, played their hearts out, and they're the ones I came to see. The guys on
the stage were too electrified, distant, blaring, beboping away in their own world. Yet they are the ones who got the pay and the
glory, while the troupers did, for my money anyway, the better part of the work. And I'm still glad to be a trouper.

Sorry to bring a negative report. I'd love to hear from someone who had a better time there than I did. Chances are I will make it
back there again in the future.

Elazar
Misrad HaJazz
Doctor Jazz Band
Jerusalem, Israel
<www.israel.net/ministry-of-jazz>
Tel: +972-2-679-2537