[Dixielandjazz] Supporting OKOM. Strange happenings on the festival circuit.

[Lowell Busching]

For those of you  tired of just talking about OKOM  on the DJML you 
might want to check out a couple more festivals coming up the next two 
weekends in the midwest that have more then a few good musicians and 
bands.  A busman's holiday for those of you on the list who play OKOM.
Some on the list will be at these festivals playing I think.

The two upcoming festivals are the Bix Festival in Davenport, Iowa 
starting Thursday night, July 27th with a pre festival show and running 
through Sunday afternoon.  Many outstanding musicians, like Dan Barrett 
and Randy Sandke, will be there.

The following weekend, again starting with a pre festival show at the 
Fest Grounds on Thursday night, August 3rd, is the La Crosse, Wisc 
festival. Among many other bands playing that weekend is the Wild Bill 
Davidson Legacy band, lead by Tommy Saunders, and an All Star band 
brought in by west coast drummer Vince Bartels. Dan Barrett will be here 
also, but primarily on cornet in this group.  Johnny Varro will be on 
piano along with Allan Vache on clarinet and Russ Philips on trombone. 
Jennifer Leitham will be on bass.  She has to be heard to be believed!

One of my favorite piano players, who is originally from that area, Bob 
Hersh, will  be playing again with one of the groups.  Check one or both 
of those festivals out and give yourself something more to write about 
on the DJML.



Contrary to popular belief by us "civilians", (as Bill Allred sometimes 
calls us), all entertainers do NOT like to blow their own horns, if they 
don't have to.  In fact, the less they have to blow at a festival, the 
better some like it.  Pity the now often poor people who come to hear 
them!  What do you expect for your money?  I know what I do!

Many festivals today appear to go along with the idea that if a musician 
plays once or twice, per day, the customers should be satisfied.  On the 
other hand, some festivals overwork the musicians with minimum breaks 
between sets. There seems to be seldom a "happy medium" for both 
musicians or festival goers.

Does anyone on the list know the reason for this?  Perhaps no one is 
really doing the scheduling and they just throw the names in a hat? 
"Key" instruments are missing on sets etc.  There MUST be a reason? I am 
not just talking festival weekend "no shows" or arrival delays. These 
are scheduled sets printed in the programs! Some festivals do an 
excellent job of course in scheduling. Can anyone name one?

One standard seems to be that the LAST group of musicians who plays late 
at night at a festival SHALL be the first or among the first to play the 
early sets in the morning!

Many of the "All Star" sets seem to be scheduled for exactly the same 
time and then nothing more for hours! I have never understood any of 
that? Spit up the audience for that hour?  What about the rest of the 
time?  There would appear to be no advance thought in any of this!

If you have never heard a musician complain about such practices either 
on this list or to the festival directors, it is probably because they 
are afraid they will not be asked back? Especially to festivals that 
otherwise treat them well.  But are the festivals put on for the 
customers benefit or the musicians?   It could be both.

For those of you on the list who listen only to music on recordings, the 
radio or the Internet or read about it, or perform, write or arrange 
music---Never mind.


Lowell aka Mad Dawg