[Dixielandjazz] OKOM aa Popular Dance Music - 2003 and beyond

[Stephen Barbone]

Hi List mates:

OKOM LIVES AS POPULAR MUSIC. Hard to believe? Well, you should have been
there last night at the 1st Annual Media PA. Jazz Festival.

http://www.statestreetblues.com  (click on "Jazz Fest November 8 2003"
once there)

Briefly., this one night festival had 10 jazz bands at restaurants and
clubs in a small six block area of downtown Media PA. Admission was $15,
a cover, which got you into any or all venues for the night which was
from 8 PM until 1:30 AM. Roughly 1800 tickets were sold, mostly to local
folks within 15 miles of town. (This is one of 3 music festivals now
planned annually by the Business Association)

There were two (2) Dixieland Bands among the 10 bands. Barbone Street
and another Philadelphia Area Dixieland Band which has been around for
30 years, with various personnel.

Barbone Street played from 9:30 PM until 1:30 AM. Three one hour sets
and two half hour breaks. At The Iron Hill Brewery (Bill Gunter, you saw
us there a couple of years ago). Musicians from other bands, as well as
the guys from the other Dixieland Band up the street at The New Orleans
Cafe,  came in to see us at about 11:45 PM saying, "We wondered where
the crowd went."

What a night. Yeah, we did our usual bead throwing routine which drives
the "purists" nuts. And we joked with the crowd about the boisterous,
bawdy, lewd beginnings of jazz in New Orleans, before it became "art
form" music as some elitists would have us believe. We kidded our
trombone player about knowing where all the bordellos were on Basin
Street when he did the number. (He spent 9 years with N.O. Symphony 40
years ago, before he spent 28 years as principal trombone with the
Philadelphia Symphony)

We had the absolute best, most fun, most musically rewarding, most
psychically rewarding time we ever had playing this music. WHY?

Because the crowd, heavily tilted towards young people under 40 years
old went absolutely nuts. Maybe it was the full moon, or maybe the lunar
eclipse, or maybe the "flashers", or maybe the young people all having
such a great time with the music, or maybe the music, or maybe this
group of 70 year old jazz musicians is just lucky? (care to venture a
guess?)

We played from an elevated bandstand, in a packed house, to a sea of
upturned faces who were watching us have a good time as well as
listening to us play the music. We set a lot of personal records last
night. Got flashed, (bare), 7 times. Got flashed (bras), more than 20
times. Got kissed more times that we can count. Got many apologies from
non flashers who said "Next time when I'm wearing my lace bra".

Our regular "art form" fans were astounded. They came for the first set
and hoped to get home and to bed early as usual. But they were
mesmerized by the interaction between the audience of young people and
the band. They stayed through the 2nd set, until Midnight. Very
uncharacteristic.

We used a piano last night, as our guitarist had a personal commitment.
He was astounded, never having played a club date with us. He is a old
timer too, did some tours with Tony Bennett years ago, also with Jimmy &
Tommy Dorsey in the mid 1950s, and with a who bunch of great jazzers
during the past 50 years. He asked incredulously, "Is it always like
this."

Not always, we admitted, but it seems to get better each time. And since
we had so many girls dancing, alone, just for the musicians and beads,
as well as with partners we got into a really danceable funky
Dixieland/Blues/Jazz groove. That was our only concession to the purity
of the music. (if one is elitist enough to think that was a concession)

Yeah, we did what those jazz bands did in the very beginning, at Congo
Square, and at the Picnic Grounds by Lake Ponchatrain. We did what Louis
did. We did what Watters/Scobey did. We did what Turk Murphey did. We
did what Condon did. We played for the crowd, for the dancers, and for
the sheer joy of watching people react to JAZZ. We also played our
repertoire, for ourselves. And we did it with a bunch of guys who know
what JAZZ IS. (check their bios sometime) Jazz musicians, not musicians
who also play jazz, yeah there is a difference.

Why is it that so few bands do it this way these days? What happened to
visceral, up to date, good time jazz for the masses? Who the hell
hijacked it and turned it into a would be pseudo elitist music? FLASH:
It ain't the audience, they are there waiting.

So if you still believe that young people do not like OKOM, that they
won't spend money to come to hear it, or even come to hear it if you
give it away, visit with us in Philadelphia, or Reading PA, or Rehoboth
DE, and get an attitude adjustment.

Cheers,
Steve Barbone