[Dixielandjazz] Is Jazz Dead?

[Steve Barbone]

<patcooke77 at yahoo.com> wrote
 
> Steve, since the early 50's people (musicians included) have been telling me
> that dixieland is dead....the audience is getting older......in 10 or 20 years
> they'll all be gone, etc., etc., etc.    Well, who are all those people at the
> jazz festivals?  True, there's not a dixie band in every bar and club, but
> there are still a lot of aficianodos around.  Also it seems that most of the
> gigs are outdoors now.  I don't really like outdoors....I like air
> conditioning......getting old, I guess.  Wait, I think that boat has already
> sailed!  But when you and I are both gone, dixieland will still be here.

I hear you Pat. What keeps it alive, in large measure, is highlighted in the
following article excerpted from today's Olympia Washington paper:

Cheers,
Steve Barbone

Swing to Dixieland jazz - By Chester Allen - The Olympian

It's hard to believe that jazz scared the daylights out of folks 70 years
ago. . . . 

Well, people still are crazy about early jazz . . . It's American music that
still sets toes to tapping.

Plenty of toes will tap and feet will dance when the Greater Olympia
Dixieland Jazz Society swings into its 16th annual America's Festival from
today through Sunday . . . How things have changed - and not changed.

"We'll have swing groups, lots of good traditional jazz, and lots and lots
of dancing," said Charlotte Dickison, one of the ringleaders of this year's
festival. . . "we've got an all-girl band . . . That all-girl band, Mighty
Aphrodite of Bellingham, is fairly new, but they're getting rave reviews for
their music, which ranges from New Orleans style to early swing. . .

helping young musicians earn their jazz chops is one way to keep the music
alive, which is one of the festival's goals. . .

A large turnout is expected for this year's festival . . .  high gas prices
don't seem to scare jazz fans. . . There is seating for 1,000 people at the
three performance areas.

One of the stages will be set aside for listening only, but dancing is
encouraged at the other two stages.

The music isn't new, but there are a lot of young faces at the festival,
Dickison said.

"We get lots of younger people, especially now that a lot of dance groups
are going out swing dancing and Lindy Hopping," Dickison said. "I don't know
the difference between the two. It all looks the same to me."