[Dixielandjazz] 51st Eight..Mighty Aphrodite..Loisianna Joymakers

[Len Nielsen]

The 51st Eight started as a high school band in Chilliwack and were 
invited to play at
the Chilliwack Jazz Fest as a youth group. Chilliwack is in the Fraser 
River Valley about 60 miles east of Vancouver BC.

They have come a long way and when I caught their set at the recent 
Victoria Hot Jazz Party they were playing to standing room only at 
Herman's Jazz Club. They play good Dixieland and Swing and they have 
developed a stage presence that will have you laughing along with them. 
All this with a group that averages about 21 years old.

Bria Skonberg , a cute 21 year old blond, leads, plays great trumpet, 
sings and generally instigates the fun. She invited Claire McKenna, a 21 
year old student from a Washington State college to sit in with them. 
Claire plays clarinet, sings and you have to hear her scat. The groups 
reed player, Evan Arntzen, is the grand son of LLoyd Arntzen, the reed 
man for the Dixieland Express and so grampa got invited to sit in. At 
that point there were 4 clarinets across the front line.

Herman has a tradition to present the bands with a round of shooters 
during their performance and so it was with this group. Out came the 
baseball caps and being kids they had them on with the bills pointing in 
every direction. They all joined Herman to sing the verse that goes with 
  chugging Schnapps and on the count of three, in German, down the 
hatch. The retching and gagging was hilarious.

Brea did the introductions for the next tune and all was set. She had 
her trumpet almost to her mouth and then drew it away while all waited. 
She reached for a glass of water and to the delight of everyone she took 
a gulp and proceeded to gargle. We all just about peed (how do you spell 
peed?) ourselves laughing.

They will be in Sacramento this month. Do yourselves and them a favor 
and go see/hear them. They will appreciate it and so will you.

Len Nielsen
Victoria BC

http://www.the51steight.com/web-content/pages/home.html

Bria and Claire will be playing in the upcoming Arizona festival in a band
called Mighty Aphrodite....in Port Angeles (at the Jazz in the Olympices
festival) they were part of The Louisianna Joymakers...I think the
Mighty Aphrodite
band is an all female group....Louisianna Joymakers has one CD out and
another
recorded to be released pretty soon I think....
Karen Books
Pacifica, CA