[Dixielandjazz] Relevant Dixieland

[Steve Barbone]

John Petters at johnpetters at tiscali.co.uk wrote: (polite snip)
 
> Steve, the question I have to ask is have you tried playing 'Once in a
> While' with the tricky stop time chorus behind the cornet solo, or
> 'Willie the Weeper' with the off beats or indeed 'Snake Rag' with the
> showy trombone slurs that never fail to delight audiences. How many of
> the tunes you play have stop time,  off beats or charleston beats?
> My experience is that young audiences go for them.
> Our recent set at the Upton Jazz Festival started with 'I Found a New
> Baby' with tom tom intro and a 2 chorus drum solo, then 'Georgia Camp
> Meeting', followed by Buddy's Habit. Snag It, Down by the Riverside,
> Dinah, Gatemouth, Once In A While (with the stop time) were all included
> and the crowd loved it. We seldom need to fall back on Dolly, Blueberry
> etc unless playing a function gig. Classic hot jazz is popular if
> presented in a lively virile manner with lots of ensemble playing (a
> lost art with most bands these days).

Yes, of course, I've done all of that and continue to do it as a sideman in
several bands that play "old folks" gigs. In both New Orleans "uptown" style
(like British Trad) and West Coast revival style as done by Scobey, Watters,
Turk and King Oliver before them. My repertoire in those styles consists of
about 1000 songs including all those you mention.

I think we're talking past each other. You are talking about jazz festival
audiences. What you (or I) would play for them is those tunes in a
restricted style. That audience is aware of and likes that music, regardless
of how many times the hear the exact same version. So we play it.

I am talking about the the "kids" who listen to Rock & Roll, Rap, Blues
etc., who do not get excited about "classic" Dixieland. Who don't go to OKOM
jazz festivals. You know, the kids most people say don't like tuneful music.

These kids are my target audience and so we play, 4/4 swinging Dixieland of
the style Condon espoused. And we add some tunes like "At Last", linking it
to the Etta James version in a funky blues style. And naturally we play the
old War Horse Tunes like "Once in a While", "Panama", "Wolverine Blues",
"That's A Plenty" etc., etc., ad infinitum. But without trying to sound like
a 1920s, or 1930s band. We try and sound like ourselves playing Dixieland,
for young people, in the 21st Century. We even go so far as to (heresy)
modify the chords by extending them should the mood strike. Skylark is a
perfect example of a tune that sounds much better (to me) with a few chordal
changes from the original. (Ducking as I'm sure that's a no, no to the
purists on the list) The version my band plays is far superior to the
version I play as a sideman in a revival style band. (in my ears)

Works for us, as I'm sure yours works for you. And that's the bottom line.
My band goal is to develop a NEW AUDIENCE for this music, not to play in the
old style to a shrinking older audience. We do not want to be a "classic"
jazz band, playing "classic" copies of older tunes. We do not want to revive
the lost art of Dixieland. We want to be a 21st Century Dixieland band
playing updated versions of some older songs as well as jazz versions of
more current songs.

We are, in effect, doing what Eddie Condon always wanted to do. He is quoted
as saying in the 1930s: "We did a lot of Dixieland numbers because the
customers identified them with our music and asked for them. We could have
played the most recent popular hits, giving them our interpretation, but
many of the listeners would not have believed they were hearing jazz."
Perhaps that attitude is still true today among older audiences?

He never got to do that at Nicks or his own joint because the audience was
old folks. And the audience paid the bills. But when the guys were on their
own, it was a different story. Some of his late 30s Commodore sides are
testament to that.

That we get paid very well to do what we are doing is a secondary benefit.
Last night's concert gig to an audience of 500 cheering fans being the norm.
Tomorrow's gig to a similar audience being the norm. All close to home,
virtually no travel overnight, etc., etc., etc. That the old folks at
several local Jazz Societies also put up with us by rebooking annually is an
added bonus. :-) VBG.

Cheers, 
Steve