[Dixielandjazz] Solos - was bass solos

[Jeanne Brei]

Hey Pat,
    I LOVE the Orange County Jazz Festival (up until now I've only missed
one) -- and you're right -- this year they have a FANTASTIC line-up -- and
speaking of fabulous trombonists -- David Sager will be playing with Dan
Levinson's band -- 
    Unfortunately,  even though I've had OCJF on my calendar for six
months -- just 2 weeks ago, I booked a gig for Miami starting Wednesday the
3rd and going thru the 7th -- so I'm going to miss OCJF...darn it! but
paying gigs come first...
    And you're also right about All-Stars and "pick-up" bands playing the
same old chestnuts -- and it's funny -- each year one song (that wasn't
played in previous years) will be picked up and played by six different
groups from around the country -- one year it was Louis Armstrong's "Swing
That Music" which I can listen to many times and never tire -- and normally
each band will play it a little differently -- have you ever heard the Titan
Hot 7 do their humorous take on "Sunday"? It's hilarious -- top entertainers
at their best...
    But the great thing about pickup bands is as an audience member you can
keep them from doing the same old songs over and over -- just sit near the
front row and when the between song discussion of "what song shall we play
next?" comes up, speak up and suggest an obscure tune -- believe me, the
All-Stars and festival pick-up bands KNOW every obscure tune! I remember
when a band at the Las Vegas Festival jokingly asked the audience what they
wanted to hear -- I yelled out "I Had Someone Else" and the piano player
said "Do you want to sing it?" "I yelled out "sure" and away we went -- and
I spent the next hour insisting to everyone in the audience and the sound
guy that I wasn't a plant and hadn't met any of those guys before...
    So, if you're tired of Lady Be Good (and I remember the year that that
song was played incessantly at Sweet & Hot), just ask for a few obscure
tunes -- someone else in the audience asked Tommy Saunders to play Black
Coffee and boy was I grateful -- it never occured to me to ask for it -- but
his rendition was incredible! I haven't heard ANY other festival band play
it...
    And one of the things that's kept Banu on top for years in the festival
circuit is that EVERY year she came back with at least 10-20 songs that no
one had ever heard before -- obscure tunes from the 30s -- so her sets would
be half the gems from her albums that have great arrangements (not every guy
solos every song) and the other half would be songs you hadn't heard all day
long...
    If you haven't heard Brady McKay yet -- you should -- she was FABULOUS
at Mammoth Lakes -- I caught her set with Pieces of Us (Chuck Bond on
cornet, Jerry Krahn on guitar and Tom Shader sitting in on bass) doing some
pretty sexy songs and again with Tom Hook and the Dogs bringing down the
house...she did some great obscure material -- including a song from
boogie-woogie piano player Camille Howard...
    It's a shame you let a thing like Lady Be Good keep you from going back
to Sweet & Hot -- the Marriott is such a beautiful hotel and the staff truly
spoils us, the venues are gorgeous, the volunteers are wonderful, and the
music is fantastic -- and you're never more than a few feet away from
another venue if you don't want to hear a certain song again -- 
    But have a great time at OCJF -- I know you will-- Larry, Connie and
John have put together an incredible list of bands -- I WISH I could be
there!
Jeanne

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Patrick Cooke" <patcooke at cox.net>
To: "Jeanne Brei" <TinPanAlleyCat at cox.net>
Sent: Friday, July 23, 2004 10:51 PM
Subject: Re: [Dixielandjazz] Solos - was bass solos


> Jeannie......
>
>     The last time I went to Sweet & Hot, I enjoyed Bill Allred with his
> great arrangements and marvelous players.  Dick Hyman, and a great
vocalist
> named Tierney Sutton.   The following year , none of those were scheduled,
> so I didn't go.  I don't have to go to L.A. to hear Pete Fountain or Banu;
I
> can see them here.
>      I was mostly disappointed by the "all stars" who played the same old
> chestnuts.  I actually heard Lady Be Good 4 times in one day!  They of
> course want to play "something everybody knows", but I'm sure these guys
> have bigger repertoires than that.  After all they are all stars.  I hope
I
> never hear Lady Be Good again!
>     This year, I'm going to the West Coast jazz party in Orange County,
CA.
> Ken Peplowski, Scott Hamilton, who I have never seen in person, the Four
> Freshmen, Jack Sheldon with a rhythm trio, Bill Watrous, the Count Basie
> band, and a big list of others will be there.
>      Pat Cooke
>
>
>
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Jeanne Brei" <TinPanAlleyCat at cox.net>
> To: <barbonestreet at earthlink.net>
> Cc: "DJML" <dixielandjazz at ml.islandnet.com>
> Sent: Friday, July 23, 2004 11:02 PM
> Subject: Re: [Dixielandjazz] Solos - was bass solos
>
>
> > Hey Stephen,
> >    Thanks for the reply -- yes, I've sung with Bobby Scann (that is who
> you
> > mean right? he's a high school music teacher, wonderful trombonist and a
> > great guy -- and he can read and play anything -- whenever headliners
come
> > to Vegas, he's usually in the band behind them (ie, Don Rickles, Steve &
> > Eydie, etc.) and when I was sitting in with him -- he was playing
> Dixieland
> > at the (currently closed) Showboat Casino with Bobby Morris's band
(Steve
> > Johnson on sax, Billy Stevenson on piano, etc.)
> >     The amazing thing about the festivals that I go to -- they aren't
just
> > for old folks -- Sacramento gets nearly 100,000 in attendance of all
> ages -- 
> > one of the best things about that festival is all the families with
their
> > kids and the REALLY GOOD youth bands -- that plus you get choose the
> > experience you want -- one hotel will be nothing but swing bands with
> great
> > dance floors, CalExpo has the Beer Garden and tents with Zydeco and
> rockin'
> > venues, Old Sacramento has small, intimate venues that seem hundreds of
> > years old (the Firehouse, etc.) and the Red Lion Hotel is nothing but
All
> > Stars. And of course, the fabulous old Crest Theater is gorgeous with
its
> > live radio broadcasts -- and we're not counting downtown and it's big
> names
> > (the Mills Brothers, the Lawrence Welk stars, etc.)
> >     And considering you CAN get an all-events badge for less than
$100 -- 
> > it's an incredibly great deal for four solid days and nights of a huge
> > variety of music -- from barbershoppers to zydeco, from San
> Francisco-style
> > to Chicago-style to New Orleans-style trad jazz, Sacramento really does
> have
> > it all...
> >     Mammoth Lakes' audiences are a wide variety of ages too -- 
especially
> > since it seems to take over the whole town with its fabulous venues (the
> > Woods, the Whiskey Creek, the Holler, etc.)
> >     I tend not to go to the type of jazz festivals that you talk about
> > because I really DON'T like modern jazz -- it always seems to be going
in
> > circles and never actually having a melody line -- and I really don't
like
> > paying $40-$80  for three hours of music (normally in Vegas, I can get
> > myself comped to see most shows) I would expect a Dixieland band to
> outdraw
> > all other bands at one of those festivals because a Dixie band is having
> > FUN! The music is fun, the instrumentation is fun and the guys who know
> how
> > to play it REALLY know what they're doing -- they're not just reading
> > notes...
> >     It's so frustrating because Vegas does have a couple of piano
bars -- 
> > but now they won't play anything older than Billy Joel or Elton John -- 
> none
> > of them will play any of the old standards, sing-a-longs, nothing -- and
> > they claim it's because today's audience don't know those songs -- but
how
> > do they expect kids to LEARN those songs? I'm so grateful to my Mom who
> took
> > us to Shakey's Pizza Parlor to do the sing-a-longs and to the Golden Bee
> at
> > the Broadmoor in Colorado Springs -- I used to have to sit on the stairs
> > because I wasn't old enough to be in the "pub" -- but they let me come
and
> > sing -- and it was so much FUN! We used to go to the Trocadero at Elitch
> > Gardens in Denver a couple of times a year -- Wayne King's Orchestra
would
> > be playing the outdoor ballroom -- he must have been in his 80s and he
had
> a
> > violinist in the band who was over 90 who used to sing "Skirts" -- I was
> > just a little kid but I loved the music and I love those memories...
> >      It wasn't easy growing up in the Seventies and Eighties when music
> with
> > melodies was considered "old" -- as far as I'm concerned there's no such
> > thing as "old" music -- music is a language and is therefore ageless -- 
> and
> > each style of music just reflects a certain mood of the listener and the
> > time.  When I was in Budapest, Hungary in 1994 after they had just
become
> > free -- Louis Armstrong music was everywhere because (in my opinion)
much
> of
> > 1930s jazz is an "expansive" music -- the mood is "celebratory" and it
> just
> > picks you up and carries you away...and it's no accident that rock/pop
> stars
> > are singing "romantic" ballads from the 40s -- especially since the baby
> > boomers are at an age where they'd like to be able to slow dance and
have
> a
> > conversation on the dance floor -- it's just unfortunate that we have to
> > listen to Rod Stewart who has NO voice whatsoever destroy these gorgeous
> > songs...I'd much rather listen to the crooning of Jeff Gilbert with the
> > Royal Society Orchestra or Crazy Rhythm -- I don't need "stars" -- I'd
> > rather listen to quality...
> > Jeanne
> >
> > ----- Original Message ----- 
> > From: "Stephen Barbone" <barbonestreet at earthlink.net>
> > To: "Jeanne Brei" <TinPanAlleyCat at cox.net>
> > Cc: "Dixieland Jazz Mailing List" <dixielandjazz at ml.islandnet.com>
> > Sent: Friday, July 23, 2004 6:50 PM
> > Subject: Re: [Dixielandjazz] Solos - was bass solos
> >
> >
> > > Hi Jeanne:
> > >
> > > Thank you for reading and enjoying those posts and NY Times articles.
> > >
> > > You are among those who listen well. Yes, Sacto has some great ones,
> along
> > with
> > > a lot of garage bands. Tommy Saunders is a favorite of mine, as is
Peps
> > > (Peplowski) and my hero, Kenny Davern who used to cut me up regularly
in
> > NYC 50
> > > years ago. (he still does) The East Coast All Stars are just that. I
> work
> > with
> > > some of them, like Randy Reinhart here in the Philadelphia area from
> time
> > to
> > > time. They are great players and great soloists.
> > >
> > > The festivals you mention and the Jazz Parties, Atlanta etc., also
> feature
> > > great jazz musicians. However, many of the other festivals are not as
> > creative.
> > >
> > > I rarely get to jazz festivals these days, other than local ones which
I
> > play.
> > > They are not OKOM festivals but rather Jazz Festivals featuring modern
> > jazz,
> > > smooth jazz and blues. Like Rehoboth JF in Rehoboth DE, Berks JF in
> > Reading PA,
> > > Clifford Brown JF in Wilmington DE, Dover JF in Dover DE, etc. My
band,
> > Barbone
> > > Street, has shared the stage on New Orleans Nights with Preservation
> Hall,
> > and
> > > Dirty Dozen Brass Bands, 3 times at Berks and Clifford Brown. (These
are
> 8
> > and
> > > 11 day festivals). We've also headlined alone at Berks, Rehoboth,
> Clifford
> > > Brown, West Chester University, Dover JFs,  Turks Head Music Festival,
> > Media
> > > Blues Festival, Wilmington Riverfront Blues Festival etc. within the
> past
> > 3
> > > years.
> > >
> > > These appeal to a large, broad, younger jazz loving audience and our
> brand
> > of
> > > Dixieland goes over big time. The smallest of the above festivals
draws
> > 1000,
> > > the largest about 50,000. Our largest single set audience at one was
> 5500.
> > > Needless to say, they pay much better than your average OKOM festival.
> > There
> > > are no "all events" passes. Each venue has its own charge. Some free,
> some
> > as
> > > high as $80. Our jazz festival performances have generated charges of
> from
> > $12
> > > to $39 for a one hour set.
> > >
> > > Some of the performers at these festivals are the BIG boys/girls.
Wynton
> > > Marsalis, Branford Marsalis, Herbie Hancock, Bela Fleck, Boney James,
> > Aretha
> > > Franklin, Hiromi, Toshio Ashioki (spelling?), Maynard Ferguson, Arturo
> > > Sandoval. Roy Hargrove, Joshua Redman, Kenny Barron, Keith Jarrett,
etc.
> > We are
> > > usually the only Dixieland Band there, yet we draw with the best of
> them.
> > >
> > > We do about 160 gigs a year locally which is just about all we can
> handle.
> > So,
> > > we rarely travel more than 80 or 90 miles for a gig these days,
> especially
> > with
> > > the band average age now at 70.
> > >
> > > If you have a moment, see our web site. Not fancy, but you'll get an
> idea
> > of
> > > what we do..
> > >
> > > http://www.barbonestreet.com
> > >
> > > Cheers,
> > > Steve Barbone
> > >
> > > PS. Had a Las Vegas Trombone player sit in with us at The Coatesville
> (PA)
> > Old
> > > Fashioned Ice Cream Festival a couple of weeks ago. Bill Scann. He
free
> > lances
> > > there and I think teaches music at one of the local High Schools or
> > > Universities. More of a modern jazz player but he did great and had a
> > ball.
> > > Know him?
> > >
> > > PPS. Funny thing about "All Star Bands". Had a Dixieland expert write
me
> a
> > year
> > > or so ago stating that he disliked all star bands because they were
> > "pick-up"
> > > groups and not well rehearsed. Blew my mind. I am a firm believer that
> > "jazz"
> > > musicians speak a common musical language and thrive in such
situations.
> > As I
> > > hear it, that's where creativity lives.
> > >
> > > Jeanne Brei wrote:
> > >
> > > > Hey Stephen,
> > > >    I love your posts -- and especially the Times articles that you
> > > > forward -- but I'm just curious -- do you ever go to any trad jazz
> > > > festivals? Maybe there are a few like what you said -- but some of
> them
> > > > really feature All-Stars -- the Sacramento Jazz Festival's Red Lion
> Inn
> > > > comes to mind (hearing Tommy Saunders' solo on Black Coffee at 1:00
AM
> > was
> > > > breathtaking) -- the Mid-West All-Stars, the East Coast All Stars -- 
> > they're
> > > > all fabulous musicians. Also, the Sweet & Hot Jazz Festival features
> > more
> > > > AllStars than it does bands!
> > > >     And several of the guys on your list (the ones who are still
alive
> > > > anyway) can usually be found at Sweet & Hot or Sacramento -- Ken
> > Peplowski,
> > > > Dan Barrett, Dan Levinson, Tommy Saunders, etc., etc. -- and it's a
> real
> > > > treat to hear them LIVE!
> > > > Jeanne Brei
> > > > Las Vegas, NV
> > > > ----- Original Message -----
> > > > From: "Stephen Barbone" <barbonestreet at earthlink.net>
> > > >
> > > > > I am not surprised that some members of the DJML do not like
solos,
> > much
> > > > > less bass solos.  (remainder snipped)
> > >
> >
> >
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>
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