[Dixielandjazz] Standards

[pj.ladd]

Hi All,
I have been struck by a terrible thought. Perhaps  the reason for falling audience numbers for OKOM is that `THEY DON`T KNOW THE TUNES`

This seems incomprehensible to me but I was playing piano at a party the other night and was asked to play something they could sing. I was under the impression that I had been. I was using    THE BUSKER FAKE BOOK. 1001 ALL TIME HIT SONGS.

A few guests went through the book saying `Don`t know that......Dont know that` About the only ones they knew were Paperback Writer, Dancing Queen  and Peggy Sue and they didn`t want to sing them because they were `old`. Exactly like you? Nah, For all we know? Nah  Fly me to the moon? Nah   Jambalayah? Nah!  
This wasnt a gathering of kids. The local vicar and his wife, one retired couple, two couple son the verge of retirement and so on.They weren`t  non musicians. One had a good voice and two beside myself played piano.

I am almost eighty and ,obviously wrongly, I looked on these people as my `contemporaries

I thought the `generation gap` was between me and teenagers. No it aint.!

M