[Dixielandjazz] Audience smiles

[Jim Kashishian]

Larry Swain wrote
This picture illustrates nicely my observation in an earlier post about what
a player on stage sees, if things are clicking, from the stage (namely:
smiles).



Larry was referring to a picture link I posted the other day.  Since the
comments about the picture express what I was hoping to put across with my
letter, I've decided to post another link with a similar shot:

http://www.kashprod.com/eng/index.php?mostrar=noticias

Click beside the month to go back to February & click on 25 February (click
again on the photo to enlarge) to see what else us musicians get to see from
the stage!   :>  Actually, and trying (probably in vane) to cover up any
"dirty old man" image I may be creating, I am mostly just pleased to see the
younger crowd being exposed to something that is not just guitar based
music.  Click on other red dates to see other venues.  The girl in white is
smiling at the camera, not me!  I'm not fool enough to think different!   :>

I saw a guy in a band take shots from the stage of his audience last year.
I thought that was a great idea, and have done the same several times
lately.  It's a sight the audience doesn't get to see.

One of my biggest thrills lately was when an English gentleman of about 80
yrs of age told me on the break that I "had made his visit complete" by
playing Avalon.  You should have seen this man's face when we started (just
by chance) to play what must have been his favorite song.

Once, when we played the 30th anniversary of a local Jazz Festival, I asked
the some 1,500 people how many of them had been with us in the 1960's.  Half
of the audience raised their hands high.  It made me think about the impact
performing musicians can have on the public.  Their first date, their first
kiss, they met....at one of our gigs.  If one thinks about that, everytime
you climb up on the stage you'll bounce up there, rather than struggle up
there just for "another set".

Funny part about being invited to the 30th Anniversary of the festival:
they made a big deal about the fact that we were featured at the 1st
festival given by these people in Madrid.  What they didn't mention was why
those were the only two years we were invited out of the 30 yrs!  What the
f**k happened to the other 28 yrs!   :>  (It's mainly a modern jazz gig, but
still....)

Jim (ya gotta laugh) Kash