[Dixielandjazz] Where was the jazz?

[Bob Romans]

About 15 years ago my wife and I had breakfast in a cafe in the French 
Quarter...when I got the bill on my credit card several weeks later, they 
had charged me twice for it...swore it was an accident, of course! All we 
heard on that trip was Preservation Hall, and a bunch of VERY loud Rock 
Bands...oh yes! A very good street band playing OKOM...11 year old trumpet 
player took the tin bucket around to everyone, and it filled up fast! They 
were making a TON of $$ more than the loud bands I'll wager! There weren't 
many people in the clubs the night before...although Preservation Hall was 
packed every performance!
Why don't those people catch on? Because they don't know our old music 
probably!
Bob Romans
----- Original Message ----- 
From: <Cebuisle2 at aol.com>
To: <dixielandjazz at ml.islandnet.com>
Sent: Monday, September 26, 2005 4:03 PM
Subject: [Dixielandjazz] Where was the jazz?


>I am amazed at all the posts during the last weeks about jazz and musicians
> in New Orleans. Steve's post about the return of the jazz scene leads me 
> to
> ask,  "Where was the jazz scene about 25 years ago? My spouse and I 
> traveled
> there  with the sole intention of hearing hot jazz. I think we hit the 
> Famous
> Door and  Preservation Hall. All the other clubs on the main drag in the 
> French
> Quarter had screaming guitars and pounding drums. The waiter came over 
> before
> we  were even seated at the "Door" to take a drink order, and kept coming 
> back
> even  though we hadn't half finished out first drink-
>
> The host at our motel warned us not to leave the well lit main street
> (Bourbon?) as it wasn't safe for tourists. I recall driving down canal 
> Street at
> midnight with the windows rolled up and the AC on full, it was so hot. All
> considered, I was not impressed with the music scene in the Big Easy. What 
> I  have
> read and heard since has not changed my opinion.
>
> I read an article in U.S. News and Report recently in which a long time
> resident of the city who formerly ran a recording studio there said the 
> jazz
> funerals had degenerated into drunken parties.and that a city parade 
> permit was
> now required. And then there was the brick-in-the-mouth suffered by Al 
> Hirt,
> which almost ended his playing career., and some of the social clubs 
> refused
> to parade any more due to racial troubles.
>
> Guys, has there been a renaissance in N.O. these last few decades? Seems
> most of  the musicians mentioned recently were playing somewhere else when 
> the
> big water came. Did I miss something on that ill fated trip 25 years ago?
> Where was the jazz hiding?
>
>
>  Ted
>
> _______________________________________________
> Dixielandjazz mailing list
> Dixielandjazz at ml.islandnet.com
> http://ml.islandnet.com/mailman/listinfo/dixielandjazz
>