[Dixielandjazz] LANDING ANECDOTES

[Robert S. Ringwald]

As working musicians, I'm sure we all have stories to tell about the
strange things customers have done or said to us.

I remember, years ago, a customer who was proud of being Scottish.  In
fact, his name was Scottie.

One time he requested a song & gave me a tip.  He put a dollar bill in
the kitty & took out 50 cents.

One of my favorite things that a customer will say is, "I don't know
anything about music, but you guys are really good."

Or, how about when you just finish playing a tune & a customer requests
the very same tune.

Bob Ringwald
mr.wonderful at ringwald.com
Placerville, CA USA


Below is some LANDING ANECDOTES Compiled by Don Mopsick, bass player for
the Jim Cullum Jazz Band in San Antonio, TX.

The following are samples of actual comments made to the Jim Cullum Jazz
Band, at the Landing or on the road. I couldn't possibly make this stuff
up.

Our drummer Kevin Dorn was approached one night by a man wanting to know
which of our CDs he should buy that "has the most tunes featuring Neil
Armstrong."


Often at the Landing, in the course of collecting email addresses for
inclusion in our "Jazz Me News" mailing list, the patrons often take the
opportunity to make a tune request. The Jim Cullum Jazz Band specializes
in jazz as it was played before WW II, but many people, unaware of this,
request tunes by modern jazz artists with which they are familiar. One
such customer asked me, "Do you know anything by John Coltrane?" I
explained that no, we don't play any modern jazz. "You're kidding,
right?" was his incredulous reply.


One night, a young woman, after asking if it was OK to request a tune,
said, "Um...let's see, you're jazz..." She turned to her male companion
for help. "What should I request?" He said, "Um...anything by
Grover...." There was a brief pause while he searched his brain for the
name. Finally, it came to him: "Cleveland!"


One night, a large group of high school kids was seated in front of the
bandstand. Jim announced the title of one of the Bix Beiderbecke tunes,
"Since My Best Gal Turned Me Down." One of the girls in the group
shouted out, "That bitch!"


On one occasion, after a spirited rendition of a Louis Armstrong Hot 5
tune, a fairly large, inebriated white man of about 60 started walking
toward the bandstand shouting "White men playing the black man's music,
this is bull****!" To which Jim replied, "I think you must be a racist."
The man, on his way out the door, shouted "No, you're the racist! Why
don't you play some Dizzy Gillespie or something?" Then he quickly
ducked out the door.

There was a moment of bewildered silence while we all struggled to get
our minds around what the man had said. We're still trying to figure
that one out.


The Landing in San Antonio was designed by an acoustic engineer to
enhance the natural sounds of the instruments, so the band can play
without the use of amplifiers and only one microphone for vocals and the
guitar.

When the band goes on the road, however, sound reinforcement becomes a
necessary evil, and we are often at the mercy of sound technicians
working the various venues in which we find ourselves. The degree of
skill and experience among these people varies from seasoned
professional to rank amateur.

On one concert date, an eager young sound man had beforehand set up an
impressive array of microphones, monitor speakers, amplifiers and other
gear on stage. This happens quite often--the technicians are merely
going with what they know as the requirements of a typical modern
performing group.

Jim asked him to please remove everything except for one mic for the
vocals and guitar, explaining that the group tried to get as close to an
acoustic sound as possible. Not comprehending, the young man said, "Just
tell me what I need to do to make it sound acoustic, and I'll give it to
you!"


Pianist John Sheridan was with the band for 23 years. Toward the
beginning of his tenure, John tipped the scales at over 300 lbs. He
decided to do something about this, so he went on a diet and lost 115
lbs. in 4 months (and has managed to keep the weight off, in fact, to
this day). Afterward, as is common with people who drastically change
their size, he found it necessary to buy a completely new wardrobe.

A few years after he lost the weight, a customer came up to John on a
break. "Say," he said, "you really play great! In fact, I like your
playing a whole lot better than that other piano player they had here
before you. What was his name again, John Sheridan?"