[Dixielandjazz] Re: "Trad" Jazz in the UK

[Dan Augustine]

>From: TCASHWIGG at aol.com
>Date: Mon, 27 Sep 2004 20:08:07 EDT
>Subject: Re: [Dixielandjazz] "Trad" Jazz in the UK
>
>In a message dated 9/27/04 4:39:56 PM Pacific Daylight Time,
>arnieday at optonline.net writes:
>  > My question is, why is it so different in the USA, where it is hard to name
>>  even one New Orleans/Chicago/ Dixieland/ Trad (whatever one wants to call
>  > OKOM) which is well-known and plays all over the country, 
>especially to packed audiences in the same theatres which "pack them 
>in" with opera, rock, country music, Symphony Orchestras and 
>Shakespeare companies?
>  > Any thoughts?
>  > Arn
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>Hi Arn:
>
>In my opinion it is mostly because the so called Jazz societies secreted away
>the genre of music into private organizations for years, which contributed to
>the decline in attendance at nightclubs that had previously presented the
>music.  The results was great dissipation of the places to work and 
>support the
>bands.
>
>Following this situation came the idea of reducing the budgets even further
>by organizing All-stars groups with only the star or featured 
>players from many
>of the other formerly established acts that were being faced with fewer
>places to work as groups and less money available to support an 
>entire band to tour
>etc.
><snip>
>Tom Wiggins
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Arn, Tom, and others--
     Which came first, and which was more important, the decline in 
interest in traditional jazz among the general audience, or the 
action of traditional jazz societies secreting away the genre because 
of the dying interest?  Possibly a little of both?  Or does it matter?
     At any rate, can it be fixed now?  Is it 'fixable'? "If people 
don't want to come to the ball park, nobody's gonna stop 'em."  (Yogi 
Berra, more or less)
     If given enough money, and lots of volunteers and expertise and 
hard work, could we send in Barbone, Wiggans, Cullum, and Company 
into (say) St. Louis, and over a period of five years, reverse the 
trend, create a demand, revitalize traditional jazz, put 20 new OKOM 
bands into that area with weekly gigs and living wages, and energize 
the people of the area, both black and white, young and old, into 
going to local venues, appearing on radio, TV, the internet, and 
newspapers and magazines?
     I'd love to see it happen, and i'm doing what i can here in 
Austin.  But i bet if you got a really good dixieland band onto 
Oprah, that really cooked and captivated her and the audience, that 
would be one of the best things to happen.

     Dan
-- 
**--------------------------------------------------------------------**
**  Dan Augustine    Austin, Texas   ds.augustine at mail.utexas.edu     **
**    "If at first you don't succeed, try, try, and try again.  Then  **
**     give up.  There's no use being a damned fool about it."        **
**        -- William Claude Dunkenfield ("W. C. Fields")(1880-1946)   **
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