[Dixielandjazz] Memories - Sacramento Jazz Jubilee 1984

[Charlie Hull]

Thanks for sharing that, Bob. In 1984 the Sacramento Jazz Jubilee was 
still primarily about trad jazz or it's recognizable variants. The 
article didn't mention it, but diversity was already making inroads. 
That year I played the Jubilee with a western swing group put together 
by fiddler/mandolinist Tiny Moore which he called "The Bob Wills Gang". 
The players had played with Wills or his brother Billy Jack. Big fun, 
and well-attended, especially by jazz musicians who liked to hear jazz 
on strings. Trumpeter Dick McCombe and me on clarinet were the only horns.

Most of the Jubilee publicity these days calls attention to the 
diversity; zydeco, blues, western swing, ragtime; something for 
everybody. They still have trad jazz bands, but the outreach is to 
non-trad fans, in an effort to maintain attendance and stay afloat. The 
primary trad fan base is seniors and is diminishing. The Sacramento 
Traditional Jazz Society, which stages the Jubilee, has a great youth 
program including a jazz camp which brings dozens of talented youngsters 
into the fold. There's no data on whether replacements are keeping up 
with departures.

But I digress, as usual.

Thanks for the reminder that it was once all about 'dixieland' jazz.

Charlie Hull