[Dixielandjazz] Side Street Strutters

[Marek Boym]

I believe I heard them at either 1990 or 1991 Breda Jazz Festival; at
least, there was a young American band of that name, winner of the
previous year's competition.
And they were GOOD!
Cheers

On 05/08/2008, Stephen G Barbone <barbonestreet at earthlink.net> wrote:
> This group is arguably one of the most successful OKOM Bands in the world.
> Note the reason they formed in 1982. <grin>
>
> Cheers,
> Steve Barbone
> www.myspace.com/barbonestreetjazzband
>
>
> Dixieland band struts its stuff at Furman Park
> By John Farrell, Special to the Press-Telegram
> Long Beach Press Telegram
> Article Launched:08/04/2008 06:09:08 PM PDT
> It is the middle of hurricane season.
>
> Nonetheless, you could head down to New Orleans right now, and with a little
> luck, avoid anything like Katrina.
>
> More to the point, it is August, hottest month of the year on the Bayou, and
> in the Big Easy the air is drinking humidity from the Mississippi like a
> thirsty man drinks a Sazerac. Things are hot in New Orleans come August, and
> it isn't because of the all-night partying in the French Quarter.
>
> You could head down to Louisiana and ignore the heat and have a great time.
> Or, if the idea of travel in the heat is too exhausting, you could head to
> Downey Wednesday evening, find a parking place not far from leafy Furman
> Park, settle down in the cool shade and enjoy some really hot New Orleans
> music, courtesy of the Side Street Strutters.
>
> Let the band members do all the necessary sweating.
>
> The seven-member band, which will perform at 7 p.m., has been playing the
> sweet, hot music of New Orleans for more than a quarter-century in concert
> halls and outdoor arenas, in New Orleans (of course), across Europe and
> Mexico and, since 1985, in regular concerts at Disneyland, where they have
> become a highly popular tradition.
>
> The Side Street Strutters (they chose the name from the side streets of New
> Orleans) are one of the most successful of Dixieland bands, but they began
> performing together more or less by accident, according to Vince Verdi,
> clarinetist for the group and one of its original members. (Five of the
> seven current members have been with the group since it began.)
>
> Verdi, calling from Disneyland, where the group plays five days every week,
> put it this way: "It was a total fluke."
>
> Verdi, his brothers and other band members were all students at Arizona
> State University back in 1982, and "We were looking for a way to make a
> little money for school," he said. "My brother Rob had the idea 'Let's play
> a little jazz.' It was a lot of fun and a success so we kept doing it.
>
> "In 1982, we entered a national competition on a fluke and won. That gave us
> a lot of jobs, and we played on television and around the country. We
> decided this was a lot of fun, and we kept doing it."
>
> The Strutters draw their repertory from big band, swing and Dixieland music,
> and over the decades have developed a big repertoire.
>
> "Even after all these years it stays fresh," Verdi said. "The thing about
> jazz is that it is improvisational. You can play it again and again and
> every time it is fresh and new. It has kept us together all these years,
> because it is just fun to play."
>
> That "fun" music has carried the Strutters not only through regular
> performances at Disneyland, but around the country and the world. The
> Strutters' touring season begins in September, and, as Verdi put it, they
> will be performing all over the United States,
>
> "from New Hampshire to Florida, and everywhere else."
>
> In addition to their regular live performances, and seven recordings made
> over the years, they have expanded their performances to include pops
> concerts with local orchestras, including a recent performance with the Long
> Beach Symphony.
>
> Wednesday's free concert will include music chosen from the great hits of
> Dixieland and swing, including "Basin Street Blues," "Just a Little Walk
> with Thee" and the Benny Goodman hit "Swing, Swing, Swing."
>
> BACK TO BOURBON STREET
>
> What: Concert by New Orleans-style jazz band the Side Street Strutters.
>
> When: 7 p.m. Wednesday.
>
> Where: Furman Park, 10419 Rives Ave., Downey.
>
> Admission: Free.
>
> Information: (562) 904-7238.
>
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