[Dixielandjazz] Do Kids Respond to Jazz? You bet! thanks DJML for a great gig in a LV School...

[Jeanne Brei]

    I want to say a great big thank you to this list -- as well as to second
the motion that kids love Dixieland when they're exposed to it...I was
contacted by someone from this list a couple of months ago about putting on
a show at a very exclusive private school in Las Vegas (almost $17,000 per
year beginning with kindergarten!) for the Las Vegas Centennial being
celebrated this year. I assembled some of the FINEST musicians in Las Vegas
(including tenor saxophonist Don Hill who was musical director for the
Treniers for over 40 years -- at 84 years young he still plays great) and
the kids LOVED us!
    I have to admit -- I had a little bit of a "plot" -- we first opened
with gutbucket, banjo, washboard, spoons and everyone singing "I've been
workin' on the railroad" -- a big hit back in 1905 when Las Vegas was
nothing but railroad and desert. And I passed around a washboard and the
spoons for the kids to try. Then I'd collect the noisemakers and start a
little bit of 1890's "pop" music ("She's Only A Bird In A Gilded Cage" -- 
and just a few bars in --  the "train whistle" would go off and the "Dixie
band" came in and played for the kids "on their way to their San Francisco
gig in 1905"
    The band played nearly 10 songs including "Won't You Come Home Bill
Bailey," "Sweet Georgia Brown," "When The Saints Go Marchin' In" -- we did a
waltz medley (including "In The Good Old Summertime," "School Days,"
"Bicycle Built For Two") and at the end, I taught all the kids how to do the
charleston and Second Line with imaginary parasols -- by the final
performance (we did it three times for three different age groups), we had
most of the school second lining -- and nearly all of the teachers! When it
came time to thank each band member at the end of the show, I made the kids
tell me the name of their instrument -- and they were 100 percent until we
got to the gutbucket! (even though Fred and I had told them what it was -- 
they had forgotten by the time 45 minutes had gone by!)
    Anyway,  a great time was had by all - including the musicians who were
paid $100 cash on the spot by one of the parents who sponsored us...
Band Personnel:
Jeanne Brei, vocalist/producer; Billy Stevenson, piano; Dick Jones, bass; Ed
Pucci, drums; Vic Fouquet, banjo; Ed Sherry, trumpet (yes, the same one from
the Kinda Dixie -- now the Royal Dixie Jazz Band at the Gold Coast), Kevin
Stout, trombone (Bobby Scann was still teaching school and wasn't
available), Don Hill tenor saxophone, Burt Esterman, clarinet; and Fred
Kirshner on gutbucket.

Billy performed his grandfather's song "That's a Funny Place To Kiss A
irl"  - written in 1910!

    thanks DJML for a great gig!

Jeanne Brei

Tin Pan Alley Cat Entertainment

Las Vegas


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Dave Washburn" <tootn4u at juno.com>
To: <dixielandjazz at ml.islandnet.com>
Sent: Tuesday, May 24, 2005 6:46 AM
Subject: Re: [Dixielandjazz] Do Kids Respond to Jazz?


>
>      2 points about kids responding to jazz.    1) I was in New Orleans
week before last playing clarinet and sax with a "Banjo Rendezvous"
convention. We played at a local school and the kids had a blast with some
of the old tunes.  2) The kids around this area know that my repair
shop/music store is open on Saturday afternoons for those that want to come
in and learn some jazz tunes and some improvisational skill. There is no
charge. Just come in with your instrument and have some fun. As far as I
know we are the only place that does this. These kids really like the old
standards.
>       I think the young folks would accept more jazz if some one made a
point of exposing them to it.
>
>
> Dave in Dallas
> tootn4u at juno.com
> www.mp3.com.au/davewashburn
>
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