[Dixielandjazz] Iowa or Colorado?

[Ed Danielson]

For those of you who don't want to sweat it out in Davenport (has anyone 
ever written a song about Iowa in July?), the Evergreen (Colorado) Jazz 
Festival takes place on the same weekend as the Bix Fest.

http://www.evergreenjazz.org/

No "all-stars," per se, but some mighty good music.

"You might as well fall flat on your face as lean over too far backward."
-- James Thurber



Lowell Busching wrote

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