[Dixielandjazz] A Couple of Observations

[Russ Guarino]

My 2 cents worth.

1]  Old men in striped vests and Garters:  Have you heard them play?
Not good my friend. Amateurs with fuzzy bad sounds. Far from pros. Sound
like Jr. High kids with kazoos.  Gives trad jazz  a bad image. Even when
I was 10 years old I could tell the difference and avoided the "Old Men"
bands @  Shakeys. They not only played badly, they always were too
happy, like being drunk.  I was just learning music then, and admired
the pros, but these guys embarrassed me.

2]  I've never been able to find real straw hats to buy.  Only Panama
type hats.  The artificial straw hats don't breathe and get hot & sweaty
fast.

3] Why not dress like pro bands and play Dixie-trad jazz titles.  Might
uplift the music and make it more mainstream. We do this a lot when
playing as a duo in a winery or private party setting. We use the
costume look while marching or playing a Dixie concert or as a street
band at a fair or community event.  And we sound professional, no kazoo
sound.

Russ Guarino
Clarinet Maverick