[Dixielandjazz] Re: Letter on Sacramento Jubilee

[Dan Augustine]

Folks--
     Some comments:

First of all, the letter Tim quotes was written by Steve Heard of 
Folsom, California (see: 
http://www.sacbee.com/content/opinion/letters/story/10235309p-11155788c.html). 
I really don't like anonymous opinions.

Second, what's wrong with having a festival focus on one style of 
jazz?  Not every jazz festival should always have to represent all 
styles of jazz just to please those who don't like that one style. 
If they don't want to attend because they don't like that style, they 
shouldn't attend.  Plenty of other people attended.

Third, as others have said, this guy is either lying or was at a 
different festival when he talks about "group after group of guys 
with straw hats and banjos playing 'When the Saints' Go Marching 
In'"--no group i saw had straw hats and no group i saw played Saints. 
Sounds to me as if he just doesn't like dixieland in the first place; 
so why go?  Maybe he's a professional critic, one who "boasts himself 
hard to please because nobody tries to please him" (Ambrose 
Bierce)(in the grand tradition of newspapers and magazines who always 
seem to send the guy with no sense of humor to review comedians).

Fourth, why put all the burden on the Sacramento Jazz Jubilee?  Why 
not for once put the emphasis on all the other jazz festivals in 
Sacramento and other northern California cities that don't have EVEN 
ONE 'dixieland' band?  Why not criticize them for being elitist or 
exclusionary or opinionated or stupid?  I bet dixieland would gain a 
wider audience if (as Steve Barbone has always said) we go play where 
the people are, especially in other huge 'jazz' festivals that seem 
to ignore dixieland.  As the attendance at his band's concerts at 
these festivals continues to demonstrate, if you play this style of 
music well and entertainingly, people will not only come and listen 
but will really enjoy it and seek it out next time.

     Dan
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>From: "Tim Eldred" <julepjerk at surewest.net>
>Date: Wed, 4 Aug 2004 20:57:05 -0700
>Subject: [Dixielandjazz] Letter on Sacramento Jubilee
>
>For whatever it's worth, here is a letter from the Tuesday 
>Sacramento Bee commenting on the article regarding the Sacramento 
>Jubilee.  For the record, there were a number a significant number 
>of excellent blues, zydeco, etc., bands and I did not see one straw 
>hat in a band....
>
>Re "Jazz Jubilee finances get rolling," July 27: If the drop in 
>admissions is troubling to the Sacramento Jazz Society, they need 
>look no further than their band lineup. What they call "traditional 
>jazz" most everyone else calls "Dixieland." Listening to group after 
>group of guys with straw hats and banjos playing "When the Saints Go 
>Marching In" grows tiresome.
>Adding a Zydeco act, a swing band and a blues outfit won't do the 
>trick. To attract more people, offer more variety. How about modern 
>jazz, bebop, Latin, free, classic or pop jazz? How many name jazz 
>acts could be brought in if instead of 120 Dixieland bands, they 
>went with 60? They could turn this into a quality jazz event people 
>would flock to.
>
>The society insists on sticking with unknown bands from a genre that 
>just isn't popular anymore. They can continue to cut costs and 
>reduce the number of acts each year until there is nothing left, but 
>that's not the goal, is it?

-- 
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**  Dan Augustine     Austin, Texas     ds.augustine at mail.utexas.edu  **
**    "Forgive me my nonsense as I also forgive the nonsense of       **
**     those who think they talk sense." -- Robert Frost (1874-1963)  **
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