[Dixielandjazz] A band, Texas-style

[David Dustin]

Having been on the ground floor of a rural trad band, as some of you know by
now, I am sincerely interested in the band business, the definition of a
band, etc., and received a couple of definitions which were helpful and
interesting.   Those of you who know the Dallas music scene understand it is
flooded with superlative younger jazz players who've come out of the
excellent jazz program at the University of North Texas.  When I worked
there, there was a wealthy player who loved big-band jazz. This guy, a more
or less mediocre player about my speed, had bought himself a nice book of
charts and would occasionally wangle a gig in restaurants around the city
for a 16-pc band that bore his name. Then he would contact some young North
Texas players and a few older ones who were regulars in the Dallas Jazz
Orchestra and were not averse to money. This leader would go into his own
pocket to pay these guys well to show, and would count off from the bari
chair where he had exposure but couldn't do much damage.  Because the
players were all super readers and players they sounded great every time,
and I always enjoyed listening to them.  This man could afford to pay big
bucks for his band fantasy, and I am sure a lot of persons were happy that
he did, including his young players and me (in the audience).  It¹s not
typical of my own band experience, but that¹s the way some do it in Texas.
(A terrific place to be if you are into big-band jazz.)

Bells up,
David Dustin