[Dixielandjazz] Just For The Fun Of It

[doctordubious at verizon.net]

I was just reminded of why many of us continue to play OKOM and why many of
the "lurkers" or those on the list who listen continue to turn out for trad
jazz performances. As many of us deplore the shrinking market (and
performance fees), let us hope that the sheer joy of performing or
listening, especially, when the stars are aligned and everything goes just
right can continue on with younger generations of players and audiences.
 
My college fraternity chapter has reunion get-togethers at various locations
and draws from classes from the late '40's to the '60's for attendees. Our
party music in those long ago days was Dixieland and we we were particularly
spoiled in that the band we had for those "big" weekends was usually headed
by Johnny Windhurst and Ed Hubble with subs for Windhurst being Max Kaminsky
or Herman Autrey. Johnny Vine, Jack Fuller and Charlie Hoyt rounded out that
group and may be known to many of our Eastern DJML'rs. When helping to plan
our recent pow-wow in Portland, Oregon, I sought to recreate that party
atmosphere and asked a friend from high school playing days to form a band
for us as he is now based in Washington. Joe Lazzaro, trumpet, assembled a
marvelous group of Northwest musos to join me on clarinet . . . Lew Chapman
on trombone, Larry Burnett on string bass, Ron Leach on drums and John
McKinley on banjo.
 
I am writing now to thank this group of marvelous musicians for their skills
and art, their professionalism and their ability to just bring a lot of fun
to the party. When a group clicks like this one did, it can be one heck of a
time, and this group clicked. I even got a chance to open with that classic
bandstand bit just after we led off with Bourbon Street Parade and
"introduce the band." It really was true. I had just met most of them a half
hour earlier. 
 
My gang partied hearty, indeed, and the band and their companions joined in
and had lot of fun and made some good music along the way and even got paid
and fed :-)
 
If you play, keep pushing and marketing yourself and your group. If you
listen, keep buying tickets or turning out to eat and drink . . . and all of
us should have as much fun as I did in Portland.
 
Oh, and by the way, hire the guys mentioned above. They can all flat out
play!!
 
Best regards,
 
Tom Duncan
Doctor Dubious and the Agnostics
PO Box 2118      Teaneck, NJ 07666
P   (201)836-6076     FAX   (201)833-4143
www.doctordubious.com <http://www.doctordubious.com/>