[Dixielandjazz] OKOM and age

[Marek Boym]

I've just returned from an excellent show by the Isradixie band.  At
66, I was among the older listeners, and my friend of 50 was far from
being among the youngest.  not that there were absolutely no people
older than I, there were, but most people were (much) younger, many in
their twenties.
The club is sort of private - no adverisement, and the lady that
manages it personally phones people that she knows might be interested
(to my query she replied: "I have a certain type of public, I need to
maintain certain standards, so that I prefer not to adverise.").
The palce was full!  Most people were from the former Soviet Union (my
companion and I might well have been the only people not from the
ex-USSR, but we both speak Russian, even if one of us was born and
educated in the USA, in a family that does not speak Russian).  It is
never half-empty, but the name of Felder (or rather - his Russian
nickname of "Agashkin") has drawing power with Russian speakers.
The band seems to be getting better with age.  Felder is very
creative, and often plays different solos on the same songs.  His solo
on "A Wonderful World" was outstanding!  And the repertoire included
"Lullaby of Birdland" - certainly not a Dixieland standard!
Yes, the place serves food, and we had dinner - something must pay for
the music, since I rather doubt it that the NIS 65 (about $12) cover
charge does (8 band members, + the Armstrong impersonator Nissim
Yemini + a guest female singer).
Cheers,
Marek