[Dixielandjazz] Upcoming Wine Country Vintage Jazz Festival

[Beth V]

Hi Folks,

I'm a member of the Board of Directors of Vintage Jazz Productions, the
non-profit organization that produces the Wine Country Vintage Jazz Festival
in northern California. I asked our new Festival Director to give me
something I could post so everyone would be able to find out about our
event, and his reply is below. Sorry it's a bit long, but there are a lot of
questions to be answered! If you've never been to this part of the world
before, the Festival would be a great time to come experience California
Wine Country and hear lots of OKOM all at the same time!

Cheers,
Beth Villanyi
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The 2004 Wine Country Vintage Jazz Festival
By John Howard, Festival Director

Hi jazz fans!  I would like to announce our exciting plans for the upcoming
3-day "Wine Country Vintage Jazz Festival" (formerly known as the Sonoma
County DixieJazz Festival).  The dates for the 2004 festival will be Labor
Day weekend, Friday through Sunday, September 3, 4, 5, at the DoubleTree
Hotel in Rohnert Park, California.

John Dellepiane, our festival director for many years, retired at the close
of the 2003 festival.  I am honored to take his place and to build on the
reputation he and others established since the festival began in 1979.  This
special year will be the festival's 25th anniversary, and do we ever have
exciting plans in store for you!

I would like to answer some of the questions I frequently get asked.  If you
don't see an answer here, please send me an email at
john at vintagejazzfestival.org or call me personally at 707-538-0922.  Or call
our festival information line: 707-539-3494.  All of our latest information
will be available at our website:  www.vintagejazzfestival.org

What is the band lineup for this year's festival?
My favorite question!  Here are the confirmed bands for 2004:  Bob Schulz's
Frisco Jazz Band, Buck Creek Jazz Band, Clint Baker's Cafe Borrone All
Stars, Devil Mountain Jazz Band, High Sierra Jazz Band, Midiri Brothers
Sextet, Pacific Coast Ragtime Orchestra, San Francisco Starlight Orchestra,
The Boondockers, Titanic Jazz Band, and Uptown Lowdown Jazz Band.  This is a
big-name all-star lineup, folks!  This is a first-ever appearance in Sonoma
County for some bands, and a first appearance after many years for others.
We plan to invite a few others.

Why did you change the name of the festival?
The name has changed several times in the festival's 25-year history.  Some
people still insist on calling it the "Santa Rosa Festival" and that's okay.
Our new name, "Wine Country Vintage Jazz Festival", is intended to position
the event as an attractive tourist destination for out-of-towners (as part
of a Wine Country experience) and to indicate a slightly broader scope of
music - Vintage Jazz instead of DixieJazz (a term coined by Marilee Jensen).
We also changed the name of our organization to "Vintage Jazz Productions"
which is a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting traditional jazz
performances and the Music for Schools program of the Luther Burbank Center
for the Arts.  (The Music for Schools program has a lending library of
musical instruments for music students who are unable to purchase an
instrument.)

Is the festival going to remain "Trad"?
Though the festival has always been called a "Trad" festival, many of the
bands over the years (Royal Society, The Untouchables, etc.) have not been
strictly "Trad."  Our requirement for "Vintage Jazz" is this: (1) Our bands
have to play jazz - we don't plan to include Cajun, Zydeco, Salsa, or any
other musical styles which other jazz festivals have branched into; (2) The
jazz has to be "acoustic jazz" - in general, this means no electric bass, no
electric pianos, and so forth; and (3) the acoustic jazz has to be a musical
style which was mainstream before 1940, or a revival thereof.  This broadens
us to include many forms of syncopated, danceable music such as Ragtime, New
Orleans, 1920s hot dance orchestra, string band jazz (Django Reinhardt style
), early swing, and various revival styles.  All of these are great
"traditional" forms of jazz and have general appeal to all ages.

How much are the festival tickets?
We are selling 3-day badges now for $75.  Our website has links to make
badge purchases and hotel reservations.  Tickets are also available by mail
at: Vintage Jazz Productions, P.O. Box 982, Kenwood, CA  95452.  Be sure to
include your name and address, telephone, email address, and your check
payable to "Vintage Jazz Productions".  We also offer "festival patron"
badges with special patron privileges (patron parking, patron cocktail
party, and several other privileges -- one lucky patron will be randomly
selected to stay in the DoubleTree Hotel's "Presidential Suite").  Please
see our website or call 707-539-3494 for patron badge information.

We will sell 1-day, 2-day, and half-day badges at the festival if space is
available.  With this band lineup we could sell-out from 3-day badge sales.
We encourage you to buy your tickets early.

How much is the hotel?
The DoubleTree Hotel offers a discounted "jazz festival" rate of $115 per
night on Friday and Saturday, and $59 for Sunday (for those staying all 3
nights).  The hotel has only 90 rooms available at the jazz festival rate.
So, call 707-584-5466 or 1-800-222-TREE and reserve your room ASAP.  There
are motels in the area, and we plan to offer a "jazz shuttle bus" for those
who park offsite or stay at a participating motel (to be determined).

How can I help the festival?
First of all, you can help us by buying your 3-day badge early and by
encouraging others to do so.  Secondly, please consider the benefits of
becoming a "festival patron" - extra perks, and you will be giving us the
extra financial help to bring you these outstanding bands.  Third, you can
join the "CommunitySmart" program (ask us or see our website) by which many
participating merchants will donate a percentage of your regular purchases
to help our festival.  Fourth, you can take advantage of our limited
volunteer opportunities and receive free festival admission.  Please contact
us for details.

[John Howard is the founder and music director of the 15-piece San Francisco
Starlight Orchestra and a member of the Fourth Street Five.]