[Dixielandjazz] Elkhart Festival Price reduction until Monday!

[Lowell Busching]

Thanks to Hal for posting that HE received an email announcing that the 
lower priced tickets for the Elkhart Festival would still be effective 
THROUGH Monday instead of just today.  That should help a couple people 
due to my "late" post last night.  He is a patron, whereas I am not, 
which may explain why I was not told that.  Therefore, I ordered my 
ticket a week ago to beat the Sat. deadline.  I will look for his hat, 
but I may not be allowed in his area. of seating. I will wave however.  
Look for someone with NO hat, glasses, and wearing all blue. Wave back.

In response to his comment on the Elkhart festival having eliminated 
almost all the other kinds of jazz he also likes, I can only say what I 
was told, after I skipped one year. They tried to go almost all modern 
jazz, with just a few token early swing players along with the token 
dixieland band.  I was not alone in not going.  Like Hal, I enjoyed the 
diversity of the original concept for that festival. by the original 
music director. Close to half and half.

I got to hear musicians I had only heard of, but probably would not have 
gone to hear elsewhere at a modern jazz festival.  Likewise  the so 
called "straight ahead"  modern jazz fans got to hear musicians who play 
primarily swing, perhaps for the first time. I think it was a good 
concept and should have continued. I am curious what other list members 
think about that? Don't ask why the concept was changed. It could get 
ugly. :-)

Most of the mixing and matching worked because many of "our" musicians 
felt at home in both genre's as did many of "theirs". Randy Sandke, for 
example, sounded as good  playing with a very modern Sax player, as he 
did with the 20's and 30's music.  There were many examples of this at 
Elkhart.

 Currently that day seems past. Maybe another major festival will try it 
again someday to the extent of the original Elkhart Festival. Would it 
work today? Some people who go to Sacramento still get upset if there is 
anything but trad music.

Lowell aka Mad Dawg