[Dixielandjazz] The Dixieland or Jazz look

Fri Apr 27 09:47:42 PDT 2007

for those who use vests you might check out www.uniformalwearhouse.com 
They have dozens of styles and colors along with other things like derbies 
(multiple colors), fedoras, skimmers and boaters along with all the other 
formal stuff at fairly reasonable prices.  Not many pure show biz types but 
they do have a Mardi Gras vest and a Flag vest.  A word about vests.  Theirs 
run small so add a couple of inches.  If you need a 48 order a 50.  Some 
come in SML and X sizes.

I prefer an open collar too because my neck expands when I play and if the 
collar is a little snug in the first place it gets really uncomfortable 
after awhile.  I try to do ties inside and none outside.

There are those who think it's all about music and as a musician I would 
like to believe that but it just ain't so for 95 percent of the people.  Now 
you can get rich on a .5% share of the market.  The trouble is how to get 
them all into the same club on the same night but this concept only works on 
mass mail order.  The majority of people IMHO are more attuned to the show 
biz side of music.  Someone mentioned Liberace and he was all show biz.  I 
should also mention Elvis.  As he became older and the music quit holding up 
on it's own he went more and more to the show biz side with the extreme 
costumes.  Did it work?  That's a little subjective but I think it did.

There  will always be room for a little flash and glitz.

Just where did I put my Sombrero?
Larry
St. Louis
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Russ Guarino" <russg at redshift.com>
To: "Larry Walton" <larrys.bands at charter.net>
Cc: "Dixieland Jazz Mailing List" <dixielandjazz at ml.islandnet.com>
Sent: Friday, April 27, 2007 10:40 AM
Subject: Re: [Dixielandjazz] The Dixieland or Jazz look

Well, my rule is open collar.  I tell anyone, if they ask, which is seldom, 
that I play a wind instrument and need to avoid
restrictions around my neck.

Most Dixieland gigs are informal and this works fine.  Many of them are 
outdoors.

If I have a more formal gig, using the red vests, I will have the gang put 
on black bow ties [ me included ] and it does look, I must
admit, very classy.

By the way, I have had to have a tailor add six inches, three each side, to 
the vest to accommodate my expanded girth over the last 20
years.

Russ Guarino

David Dustin wrote:

> Russ wrote:
> One of the reasons I use a vest is that it has a lot of open space- arm
> holes, open
> neck - and loose fit. Consequently it is cooler and also helps hide the 
> fact
> that
> now at age 71, I've put on a few pounds and need to hide it as much as
> possible.
>
> Russ [ shy about being overweight ] Guarino
>
> ====================
> Vests are indeed relatively cool, comfortable, and cost-effective visual
> brand identification for OKOM bands, provided (unlike me) you don¹t pour 
> on
> the pounds after you got yours.  I¹m on my second one, alas.  The next
> problem some of us plus-size players have is the bow tie, or anything that
> will more or less close up my collar. God put most (not all) of the fat in
> my head around my neck and underneath my chin: keeping any kind of a tie 
> on
> and even loosely cinched up, especially on a hot outdoor gig in the middle
> of summer (is there any other kind on the East Coast?), is a losing 
> battle.
> Maybe the bowties are unnecessary, but we affect them to more or less
> complete ³the look².  Naturally, I¹m the only one in the band who has this
> problem and I get sent to the naughty corner a lot for violating my own
> dress code.
>
> Dave Dustin
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