[Dixielandjazz] BG Concert

[pat ladd]

Hi All,
Attended a recreation of THAT concert Sunday night.

Great evening, top class musicians, appreciative audience.

The leader did a little chat before Dont be that way. during which he said, to a tremendous cheer that  the band were using no amplification.  How great it was to hear a clean sound not mucked about through the electronics of a knob twiddling `sound man`. I had forgotten what a band used to sound like before everyone added mikes.
The sound man came into his own when he messed up the singer doing `You take the High road` by not giving her enough volume through the only mike on stage. She was drowned out by the band.
The leader talked  with knowledge and led the audience through the facts and figures. Who wrote what and who arranged it. One number was played which was on the intended programme but which Goodman left out when it came to the performance.

The band swung and were really tight.I was VERY surprised to find out during a drink in the interval that in fact they had only played together 3 times. They seemed much better drilled than that to me. I thought the drummer had tuned his kit a bit `dead` but he played all the  Krupa bits in great style. Not with the panache that the `Master` would have brought to it but perfectly adequate. A  little old guy.played the vibes  with tremendous enthusiasm and got a great ovation for a couple of breakneck items.

It was very sad but in the audience there was hardly a head that was not grey or bald. The atmosphere was superb, very exciting, everyone chatting to each other during the interval and before curtain up. It really got a ll the old jazzers in the area out of the woodwork. I met guys I used to play with  but with whom I had lost touch.  A great evening.

Cheers

Pat