[Dixielandjazz] Jazz music, good and mediocre bands, communication and beautiful sounds

[Cees van den Heuvel]

> Cees, Cees, be careful -- you seem to be bordering on Steve Barbone 
> "lording
> it over everybody" territory.  Are you learning from him???   About the 
> only
> difference is that you didn't try to "sneak in" your put down  with the 
> "VBG"
> crap at the end.

*Being careful is not a Dutch quality....I don't see the Barbone 
resemblance.

> I agree with Paul's evaluation about European audiences.  They are the 
> best
> jazz audiences that I have ever played for -- and they come out in much
> better numbers than for most performances in the USA.  But, I have played 
> many
> festivals in Europe, including Trad festivals,

   and you have your share of
> "mediocre" bands over there too.

*Of course

> One of the great things about playing and listening to jazz music of any
> kind, is that you can go pretty much anywhere in the world (well, maybe 
> not the
> Arab countries)

*I've been playing in Saudi Arabia, Oman, Quatar and Egypt, not only for 
expats,
but for locals also. Some of them heard trad jazz for the first time in 
their life and loved
it.

 and find some wonderful jazz.  One of my delights in 40  years
> on the road, has always been to go out and find good jazz in cities all 
> over
> the world.  Another delight has always been the comradery between jazz
> musicians ANYWHERE.  Both in performing with new friends and also in being 
> able to
> hang out and talk about jazz music and musicians.  (Sometimes even  when
> there is a "language barrier" we seem to be able to get points across and 
> enjoy
> each other's company.)
> What other idiom is there where you can put a group of people together who
> all speak a different language, put musical instruments in their hands, 
> have NO
> music in front of any person, call a tune ------ and make beautiful sounds
> together.  That is why, in my mind, jazz music is one of the highest forms 
> of
> communication that human beings can create.
> Mike Vax

*I wholeheartedly agree!! The universal language. The best "wars": jam 
sessions!

Cees van den Heuvel
http://www.revivaljassband.nl