[Dixielandjazz] Street Gigs

[Stephen G Barbone]

Barbone Street does an annual gig in a courtyard between two 20 story  
buildings on Market Street In Philadelphia each year. Just 4 blocks  
from City Hall in center city. Police Cars, Hospital emergency  
vehicles and Fire Engines go by routinely during our time there. Noon  
to 1:30 PM. As Bob Ringwald says, in that situation, the band just  
enjoys the street sounds and adapts our notes to the wail of the bells  
and whistles of these vehicles.

When the sirens would go off, our late trombonist Glenn Dodson would  
put the trombone on top of his head, facing the audience, with his  
left hand, and make crank turning motions with his right hand while  
humming (high pitched) into his mic.

This year's gig is July 30, Commerce Square, between 20th and 21st  
Street 50 feet off Market Street. If you are in Philly, come on by.

Regarding my complaint at the Old King jazz festival about noise, I  
would remind those who think that was wrong that Main Street was  
supposed to be CLOSED TO ALL VEHICLES until the jazz festival was  
over. There were pedestrians in the street. We were playing American  
Songbook jazz with a trio 20 feet from the curb. The street sweeper  
truck was not supposed to be there. It was, dodging pedestrians as  
well as completely drowning out our music. We had to stop. It pissed  
off our seated audience of about 150, as well as the kids and adults  
strolling by, who had to scramble out of the way  Who among you  
wouldn't have bitched about that? It was a very dangerous situation.

The vehicle operator and sweeper was not supposed to be there until  
8:30 PM, all music having ended by 8:00PM and the street to be  
reopened to vehicles at 9:00 PM. He got there at about 7:15 PM and  
decided on his own to start immediately and see if he could end early.  
It was a very stupid move on his part and the town officials were also  
quite upset about it..

Normal street noise? Shoot, we just play louder or make a joke of it,  
having done quite a few of them every year for the past two decades.

Cheers,
Steve Barbone

www.barbonestreet.com
www.myspace.com/barbonestreetjazzband