[Dixielandjazz] Blacks & OKOM

[TCASHWIGG at aol.com]

Really Good Music is appreciated and loved by ALL audiences no matter what color or race they may be, and this certainly does not apply strictly to OKOM but this fact seems to have been ignored by far too many OKOm players for far too long.

Many of them have simply gotten lazy or never were good enough to command real attention in the first place.

This of course folks is simply my personal  opinion, and I do understand and realize that there are many friends on this list who do not share that same opinion, nor do they listen to OKOM in the style of Steve Barbone's Band or My Band or Rebirth.

That does not change however the fact that there is a much larger general public audience out there for OKOm if it is presented and performed in the styles that we are giving it to them.

I smile when I read comments on this fine list about the old war horse tunes being offered by bands like us, and then that they find the music of groups like Rebirth appalling,   

It is the same music folks, just a different delivery approach, personally as Steve has said countless times, I prefer to Play to an audience of 3000+ adoring and happy listeners to 20 or 30 in an intimate setting in small venue.

To each his own, I also enjoy being paid very well to deliver such shows over and over.

Cheers,

Tom Wiggins
I am not a Starving artiste'  nor do I or have I ever desired to be one. :))