[Dixielandjazz] Letter on Sacramento Jubilee

[Mike Marois]

Hey List;

Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't a big factor in the financial trouble encountered by the society the fact that they "invested" in these "other" types of jazz festivals and they lost their butts!

I date back to probably the 3rd or 4th festival and it's always been the Sacto Dixieland Jazz Jubilee!  Seems that these other types of jazz aren't as successful as they think they are and they need to be parasites on the Dixieland genre to get some air time.  The truth is that by bringing in these other types of jazz they're only hurting the Dixieland movement.

I do have to say that there is a batch of BS in the band selection process.  I've been a professional musician for over 25 years and my family's been in the Dixieland business since the early 1920's.  I still can't get my Dukes' band into the festival.  If anyone is interested in booking us visit our website:
http://www.theREALDukes.com and drop me a line.

Mike Marois
Leader/Manager/Heliconist
the REAL Dukes 
http://www.theREALDukes.com
http://www.TheDukesofDixieland.com
http://www.HireLiveMusic.com
http://www.TubaDude.com


---------- Original Message ----------------------------------
From: "Tim Eldred" <julepjerk at surewest.net>
Date:  Wed, 4 Aug 2004 20:57:05 -0700

>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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