[Dixielandjazz] gig programming

[Jim Kashishian]

Someone asked yesterday about programming a dinner gig.  I expected to see
lots of intelligent answers on DJML, but didn't see any at all.  Did no one
give advice?
 
I will put forth my idea then....play it like a normal gig, just holding
down the tempos & the power.  We did an every Thurs evening gig in the
swanky Westin Palace Hotel here for a couple of years, and that was the way
we did.  
 
Really driving tempos are a no-no, and toss in some show tunes:  Moonglow,
Hello Dolly, Cabaret, New York, NY.  Do some Glenn Miller (In The Mood will
always get dancers on the floor), Duke & Count.  Mix that all up with some
light Dixie:  Jazz Me Blues,  Jeepers Creepers.  Keep it all light!  Watch
your audience & play accordingly.  If you have a singer, tunes like
S'Wonderful (slow) & It Had to Be You are well accepted, and gives your guys
a chance to stretch a little.  
 
Agree beforehand with whomever hires you that you are working for him/her,
not the waiters & particularly the head waiter, who will only confound you
with "it's too loud or it's too quiet"....usually both signals, given by
alternating waiters!    :>
 
Send me a private note if you wish to see the lovely room we played in.  A
delight to see & be in, a nightmare to play in as it has a huge stain
glassed dome over the whole room.....echo, echo, echo.
 
Jim