[Dixielandjazz] Dixieland all over the world

[Margaret Squires]

I am the music director for our Dixieland Jazz Society in Modesto, CA.  I'm sure I'm coming at this from a completely diffrent aspect than you, Steve.  But if the band I hire for our third Sunday of the month meeting doesn't have people dancing all afternoon long, the band, as well as I, will have people complaining all day long!  Makes for a long afternoon.  We don't have "Fred & Ginger", but there is a couple that loves to dance and take up a bit of the floor.  What is interesting is that they both have no rhythm....together.  Makes for fun watching.  
   
  Berl's band will be performing at our jazz society in March 2009.  They played for us last year, and the feedback I received was great.  So Berl, don't worry about what you play for us, you did fine last time.  That's why I booked you again!
   
  Margaret
  

Steve Heist <steveheist at earthlink.net> wrote:
  Hi All...

Just a thought, Berl - Be a little wary of turning a jazz night into a 
"dance night" - It's great to play SOME tunes for dancing, but don't go down 
the path of playing everything for dancers! Pretty soon, the dancers take 
over and you'll wind up playing background for their dancing exhibitions... 
A lot of us have seen what we call "Fred and Ginger" take the floor and want 
to show off their every dance move ad nauseum. Seen it happen many times... 
Then they start ordering YOU around... If you are the one hired as an 
act/band - YOU are the boss, not the dancers, not the "sit in" singers, not 
the "sit in" musicians, etc. and you better make it clear to them. Keep 
your priorities straight, and take the lead, or you'll be bossed around by 
usually a bunch of amateurs, which makes for a night from hell... Been 
there, done that!

And "just cranking it out", as you call it, is NOT what most good bands do, 
hopefully. Please, believe me, going down the road of "I'm going to play 
for the dancers" will lead to "cranking it out" faster than playing good 
jazz in varying and interesting tempos.

ALL the Best,
Steve Heist



----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Berl" 
To: "Steve Heist" 
Cc: "Dixieland Jazz Mailing List" 
Sent: Saturday, March 08, 2008 10:41 AM
Subject: [Dixielandjazz] Dixieland all over the world


>I believe what I'm looking for is what do the Dixieland Dancers love to 
>dance to.


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