[Dixielandjazz] Re: Sacramento Jazz Jubilee 2006

[Dan Augustine]

DJML and other like-minded folks--
	I had to miss the Sacramento Jazz Jubilee 
in 2005 because of my nephew's college-graduation 
combined with the first family-reunion in 50 
years in Pennsylvania.  Next year i'll have to 
miss it because of my niece's college-graduation 
in Pennsylvania (Bucknell).  So i knew that i had 
to make the most out of this year's Jubilee.
	My one-observor anecdotal impression of 
the crowds at the SJJ 2006 is that there seemed 
to be fewer people on the streets than in 
previous years.  On the other hand, a number of 
bands that i tried to see had no more room at 
that venue, or were standing-room only.  I had to 
postpone seeing the Climax Jazz Band to another 
time, and couldn't get in at all to see the Jazz 
Incredibles.  But my biggest disappointment was 
not being able (well, OK, nor willing) to brave 
the massive crowds at the Firehouse Lot at 9:30 
pm to see Bonerama, with Matt Perrine on 
sousaphone.  If the throngs for the bands Gator 
Beat and Zydeco Flames before Bonerama, and for 
Bonerama itself, are any indication, this kind of 
jazz was a huge hit for the Jubilee and perhaps 
needs to be expanded, because it appeared to my 
eyes that most of the crowd was young (teens 
through 30s).  I bet they would also have loved 
to hear other such bands, including (of course) 
Tom Wiggins' St. Gabriel's Celestial Brass 
Marching & Concert Band, the New Orleans 
Nightcrawlers, etc.
	However, i did manage to see the 
following bands: the Hot Jazz Band from Hungary 
(with Randy Reinhart and Allan Vaché); Mighty 
Aphrodite (man, can Bria Skonberg belt out a solo 
now! And their bassist Georgia Korba seemed to 
have more manic fun playing than anyone else); 
Bob Schulz with Brady McKay (great set; Brady can 
take over a show and the audience better than 
almost anyone not named Wende Harston); Cell 
Block 7 (inspired and wacky as always); 
Boondockers (twice; Gary Church was incredibly 
funny playing 'poot' and looking dimly forlorn, 
and Art Terry and Bill Gunter had me and the 
audience laughing till tears came to our eyes; 
plus, the Ophir Prison Band visited -- well, 
blasted in -- the performance and took over the 
show); Bill Richards' Two-Beat Bomers (perhaps 
the best set i've ever seen in my life -- more 
later); Buck Creek (with a great new tuba-player 
Tom Holtz playing an Eb Besson 983 tuba); High 
Sierra (missed Earl McKee, who reportedly is 
doing well but just can't play yet, and who was 
replaced ably by Kit Johnson); 10th Avenue Jazz 
Band (wish Dan Zeilinger had been playing 
sousaphone with them); the Reynold Brothers' 
Rhythm Rascals (wonderfully wacky set at the top 
of the Hyatt, but i still have withdrawal 
symptoms over Westy Westenhofer not playing 
sousaphone with them); the Bearcats (from 
Connecticut, with an excellent tuba-player); Big 
Tiny Little (with my buddy Joe Cadena from Reno 
on trombone); Night Blooming Jazzmen (do all 
mathematicians -- myself included -- have a 
warped sense of humor?); Banu Gibson; Cornet Chop 
Suey (incredible packed set at Turntable 
Junction, one of the best performances i've ever 
seen); Titanic Jazz Band, Royal Society Jazz 
Orchestra, and Devil Mountain Jazz Band.
	But the set by Bill Richards' Two-Beat 
Bombers (i can't believe i missed these guys in 
previous years) was one of the best (perhaps THE 
best) i've ever seen.  Some of the audience was 
recording it (one hopes), as was (i think) Scott 
Anthony (who was on banjo), and i would 
absolutely KILL for a recording of this set.  The 
line-up of players was outstanding: Bill Richards 
(Buck Creek) on piano, Jim Ritter (Buck Creek) on 
cornet, Jim Buchmann (Climax) on clarinet and 
soprano sax, George Probert on soprano sax, 
Howard Miyata (High Sierra) on trombone and 
helicon (!), Jim Maihack (Bob Schulz, others) on 
tuba and trombone, Scott Anthony (Bob Schulz) on 
banjo and guitar, and Hal Smith (googol bands) on 
drums.  George played a delightfully slow "Canal 
Street Blues" with his patented 32 (or so) 
choruses, none of them alike, and building in 
intensity throughout, and in another song he and 
Jim Buchmann played a wonderful duet.  There was 
a standing-room only crowd in the Yolo Room, with 
dancers prancing throughout the performance.
	OK, SSJ 2006 was (to my mind) as good as 
ever.  But i dreadfully missed some of the bands 
and performers i used to enjoy hearing: Dan 
Levinson, Westy Westenhofer (was supposed to play 
one set with the Banjo Buddies, but i didn't see 
him there), Queen City Jazz Band, Paco Gatsby 
(admittedly not very dixielandish, but a crowd 
favorite), Titan Hot Seven, Black Swan (although 
Kit Johnson did sub for Earl McKee), Professor 
Plum (and oh how i would have loved to hear one 
of the best dixieland tuba-players in the world, 
Mike Swanson!).
	However, it would be even better if SSJ 
could somehow work in some other, bigger-name 
acts, which might increase the attendance and 
perhaps subsidize in part some more bands from 
other parts of the country and the world (yeah, 
they'd cost an arm and a leg, but would bring in 
bigger audiences).  I guess this would depend on 
what their vision of the SSJ is supposed to be: 
is this just a regional festival, or US, or 
world?  How far afield from 'traditional jazz' 
should it venture?  I don't have a problem with 
the bands it invited this year, except that i'd 
like to see fewer local (Sacramento and 
northern-California) bands and more out-of-state 
and international bands.
	Could SSJ get any of these acts?: 
Preservation Hall, St. Gabriel's Celestial Brass 
Marching & Concert Band, Michael White, Tim 
Laughlin, Pete Fountain, Harry Connick, Barbone 
Street, Australia's Society Syncopators, a 
Japanese dixieland-band (like the Rag Pickers of 
Tokyo), Caoba Jazz Band from Argentina, Vince 
Giordano's Nighthawks, the Yankee Rhythm Kings, 
Wynton Marsalis, Bela Fleck, Big Bad Voodoo 
Daddy, etc. etc. etc.  I think perhaps some of 
these acts have played at SSJ before, but not 
recently (but i may be mistaken, a phrase which 
ought to be understood to apply to anything 
anyone says).
	Well, logorrhea again.  Sorry 'bout that.  Over and out . . .

     Dan
-- 
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**  Dan Augustine  --  Austin, Texas  --  ds.augustine at mail.utexas.edu
**    "We believe in musical evolution, not revolution.  There are
**     enough revolutionary musicians playing revolting music."
**                   -- Turk Murphy (1915-1987)
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