[Dixielandjazz] Standing in Line to Play the Jubilee

[Steve Barbone]

"Robert S. Ringwald" <robert at ringwald.com> wrote (polite snip)

> We have close to 1000 bands who apply and want to come to Sacramento.  We
> can only hire so many.  We are limited as to how many we can hire from back
> east, or over seas because of the price of airlines, hotels, etc.

That is an enviable position to have. Similar to the line of musos waiting
in line to play in my band. :-) VBG.

Seriously though. How many truly EXCELLENT OKOM bands are there in the USA?
10? 20? EXCELLENT meaning those that not only play well, but also please
large audiences. The rest can be relegated to the round file, making the
Jubilee's task of hiring bands relatively simple. Just get the best. What
good is hiring 100 bands if 60 of them play to themselves?

Oh my, did I say that out loud?

Sonoma Jazz + is now a strong competitor with the Jubilee for general
audience. No question about that. Also no question that Jubilee has made
great strides in upgrading its program and financial position. The
volunteers there deserve much praise for what they have accomplished in so
short a time. Without them, Jubilee might have simply folded.

They might also think future, because the hardest competitive battles are
still ahead and any band at any festival which does not draw audience should
be quickly cut by the music director. The good old days, of hiring "friends"
who play to empty venues, year after year, are no longer a viable option.

Sometimes a little criticism is a good thing. Some of us on the DJML
remember such criticism directed at the Jubilee back in the days when no one
on the Jubilee board thought they had a problem. I distinctly  remember one
board member saying, in response, on the DJML to a criticism of the Jubilee:
"If it ain't broke, don't fix it," along with a huffy rejoinder that
Sacramento was the premier festival in the USA and how dare anyone say they
had a problem. Then about 6 months later, the board discovered that indeed,
the Jubilee was "BROKE."

Sometimes those who are a bit removed from the day to day operations, and
who have no axe to grind, do indeed offer some good suggestions. As painful
as that may be to the operations personnel.

Cheers,
Steve Barbone