[Dixielandjazz] "OUCH - 16 hours of Music"

[Steve barbone]

Regarding "Ouch". Actually that 16 hours in 2 days was a lot easier than 12
hours in two days when I was in my 20s.

The horse show was Saturday & Sunday, each day consisting of:

10Am - Noon : trio - straight ahead jazz, "Patron's Tent". $85 admission

1PM - 4PM   : 7 piece Dixieland Restaurant/Beer Tent - Free with food/drink
              also piped all over show grounds.

6PM - 9PM   : Quartet - straight ahead jazz/dance, Event Party $25 admission

Bass, Guitar & Clarinet did all three, trombone was added for quartet. And
since the jazz was varied styles, it was a real pleasure.



HOWEVER: In my youth in NYC, I was gigging steadily 4 nights a week while
going to college. All Dixieland, with 6 piece group. Friday and Saturday
were killers. First set 1 hour, then 20 min break thereafter 40 min set, 20
min break. At the Melody Lounge in Sunnyside, Queens, NYC.

Fridays: 9 PM to 3:00 AM.

Saturdays 8 PM to 2:00 AM

Plus Sunday 4 to 7 PM and Wed 6 to 10 PM.

This gig was pure balls out NYC Dixieland. Continued for a year and a half.
Crowd always requested the true blue war-horse tunes. We always complied.
After 6 months we were in a stupor. After a year and a half we were
Dixieland zombies. (But we had great chops)

No doubt Pat Cooke, Don Ingle, Warren Vache Sr., Gene Mayl, and some of the
other gray beards who gigged Dixieland regularly in those days (1950s) know
exactly what I mean.

No doubt, this also helped shape my present opinions about the various
audiences for Dixieland, and why I prefer playing for the jazz-oblivious who
don't give a rat's patoot what tunes you play as long as they swing.

There is nothing like the freedom to play what you want, with whatever
instrumentation you want, without some know it all pseudo-critic telling you
that isn't jazz and/or isn't Dixieland. :-) VBG.

Cheers,
Steve Barbone

Who believes that "Dixieland" meant "South" or Southern" till the 1930s when
some media types changed it to mean a style of music, and then again in the
late 1930s to mean a style of music played by white bands only.