[Dixielandjazz] Re: DIXIELAND FESTIVALS

[TCASHWIGG at aol.com]

In a message dated 8/5/04 3:26:22 PM Pacific Daylight Time, 
ds.augustine at mail.utexas.edu writes:

> 
>    I took a look at _The Mississippi Rag_ from December 2000 (the 
> earliest issue i have) and counted 65 festivals for 2001.
>    Then i combined the list of festivals from the January and the 
> August 2004 issues of MR (no duplicates) and the total was 125 
> festivals for 2004.
> 

In all marketing fairness Dan:

Now take a look at all those Festivals in Reality terms and make a list of 
all of them that are at or near the size of Sacramento Jubilee,  OK half that 
size - OK 25% that size  anything less than that is not by all practical means A 
"FESTIVAL"

Having a few bands play in a Hotel lounge and ballroom does not constitute a 
FESTIVAL no matter what you do, Calling it One does not make it One.

It is basically a nightclub replacement gig for a couple of bands or at best 
a Semiprivate Membership Party.

The term Festival is used very loosely in the USA, not that it is not also 
used loosely in some other countries as well, heck in Italy alone there is a 
Festival of some kind almost every day, not to mention a labor Strike of some 
kind every day to coincide with it.

Also in many European markets they have Jazz Clubs (which are really Jazz 
Societies) as we call them here in the USA.  Unfortunately many USA Bands do not 
know this and think they are all night clubs.  Many USA musicians also travel 
through Europe and see all the Bars and Liquor signs and think those are live 
music clubs.  Not so, the laws in many countries are very different and some 
places can only get a permit to have live music one night or day a year.


     Seems like Dixieland-festivals are in fact NOT dying out, but are 
INCREASING in number, and i don't think the total almost doubled 
because a few of them started including other types of music.

I would rather think that they are dissipating into smaller regional ones put 
on by ever smaller groups and Jazz Societies, so they appear to be growing 
and spreading the preservation.  I tend to think however that that is a mistaken 
image of the reality of what is really happening in the marketplace.

Just my overview of it as I have been seeing it for the past three years in 
the USA anyway.

If it were otherwise and thriving, we would certainly not have so many good 
bands and players always talking about NO paid or good paying gigs for them and 
their bands or 900 + bands on the waiting list for Sacramento Jubilee as they 
claim.

In a couple more years perhaps every Dixieland Band that gets a Tuesday night 
in a Bar or restaurant will be calling it a FESTIVAL.  The term is indeed 
used very loosely me thinks.

Just rambling thoughts on a rotating subject.

Cheers,

Tom Wiggins