[Dixielandjazz] Strange gigs

[Dan Augustine]

     Is it a 'gig' even if you're only still in high school?  And it's not jazz?
     Scene: the Winter Olympics in Squaw Valley in 1960.  Squaw Valley 
is just west of Reno, but in California, south of Truckee (i just 
_know_ that pinpoints it for most of you).
     I don't remember the month, but it was indeed Winter, and i was a 
senior in high school in Carson City, Nevada, and we were playing for 
the opening ceremonies.  It was cold -- boy was it cold, probably in 
the 20s -- and all we had on was our usual marching-band uniforms, 
waiting to play, along with 20 or so other bands from Nevada and 
California.  Nixon was there, as he was Vice President at the time, 
and he was there to say something in behalf of the United States 
government.
     It was so cold that the valves on my sousaphone froze.  That's 
right, they would not move at all, and i couldn't even get them open 
to add valve-oil (not sure it would have helped anyway).  I figured, 
well, i can at least play the open notes on the horn, low Bb, F, 
tuning-note Bb, D, F.
     The band next to ours was apparently from southern California, 
because they not only had no cold-weather uniforms, they were dressed 
in light shirts, sweatshirts, casual dress.  There was a band member 
from southern California who was standing near me who was about 6'6" 
(and i'm 6'4"), but he had no instrument.  We commiserated on the gig 
and the weather.
     The weather seemed to be getting colder, it was overcast, and a 
little windy.  The opening ceremonies started, our and other bands 
started to play, Nixon came up to say some words, and Lo! and behold, 
the clouds did part, and rays of golden sunshine did come through 
them and strike the area that Nixon and other dignitaries were in.  A 
miracle!  God has blessed our enterprise!
     My band started to play, but i didn't even try to play the open 
tones on my sousaphone.  The band next to mine joined in, and the guy 
next to me, dressed in a flimsy sweatshirt and without an instrument, 
all of a sudden reached into the sleeve on his left arm and pulled 
out a piccolo and started to play.  I've hated piccolo players ever 
since.

     Dan
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**  Dan Augustine  --  Austin, Texas  --  ds.augustine at mail.utexas.edu
**     "Once, during Prohibition, I was forced to live for days
**      on nothing but food and water." -- W.C. Fields (1880-1946)
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