[Dixielandjazz] Report from the Sacramento Jubilee

[Artwoo at aol.com]

Hi Everyone:
Yesterday was one of the best days of jazz listening of my life coming close 
to Louis Armstrong at the Claremont Hotel in Berkeley in 1962. 

So whose echos do I hear? Eddie Higgins, Johnny Varro, Eddie Metz, Jr, Tommy 
Saunders, Randy Reinhart, Bill Allred, John Allred, Jim Galloway, Chuck 
Hedges, Russ Phillips and all the others who played in the All Stars sessions. All 
played with taste and respect for each other. 

Two things stand out: Eddie Higgins was superb with an outpouring that was 
flawless (who else would play Sleigh Bells in May?) and Bill Allred showed why 
he is a great trombonist.

Bill played with power and conviction; who could guess that he recently had 
major surgery on his lung?  What an amazing moment. 

Another observation: while mouldy figs walked out of this session (you know 
who you were), there were about 20 young musicians from the youth bands who sat 
in rapt attention perhaps dreaming of the day they would become an All Stars. 
As Al Collins would say, they were "Merjuberized."

Jazz was alive and well in Sacramento last night.