[Dixielandjazz] New Orleans Function

[Marek Boym]

Gee,
Buddy Tate was so damn right (my first instindt was ti say "bloody,"
but then I remembered most listmates were American)!
Tate said that dancing put soul in the music.
Just back from a bar where The New Orleans Function was playing, for
dancers, and it was GREAT!
Actually, Steve is also right (don't tell anybody I've written that -
I'll flatly deny it).  I've read mourning about dwindling audiences
here so many times, and about the lack of young audience; too many
times.  OK, I have felt like a dinosaur before, but tonight was the
first time that I've actually checked whether I did not grow scales
and a tail!  It was the first time at a traditional jazz performace
that kids gave us (including our 49 friend) that look meaning "what
are the old farts doing here digging our kind of music!  When I spoke
to the trombone player after the show, he said: "No, it wans't that;
the were just thinking how cool it was that people your age also liked
the music."
We arrived early.  The sjow was advertised for 9:30 PM.  We were there
before 9, and heard nost of the band rejearsing with great enthusiasm.
 And we thought it was a good thing we came, because the place was
almost empty.
Well, towards 10 PM it started filling up, with kids many of whom
sould have been my grandchildren.  Someone came and moved the tables
(ours, luckily, was attached to the wall and could not be moved) to
make room for dancers.  The place seemed to small for 20 people, but
at least twice as much squeezed in.  And it felt almost like bars in
new Orleans of old did: although it was airconditioned, it was
exrtremely hot and humid!  Well, the door was open, because the
restaurant is no both sides of the street, and waiters had to move
back and forth.
Thew band is young and plays with high energy.  It reminded me of the
Yerba Buena Jazz Band.  now, I have never heard the Yerba Buena live,
but many accounts of first-hand experiebnce therewith mention the hig
energy.  And were those kids good!  For the record, the band is: Eli
Preminger - trumpet, Arnon de Botton - trombone, Gal Dahan (looking
like second generation Bob Marley) - soprano sax, Shimi (Shimon) Gilad
- banjo, Yoav Columbus - string bass and Yair Zalsman - drums.
So they nay not have the technique of Randy Reinhardt or Bob Wilber,
but whatever the lack on technique, they make up for wit henthusiasm
and energy.

It's almost 2AM, so I won't go on, but I certainly hope to hear the
band again (and again, etc.).  It's basically a Jerusalem band, but
about half the members are from Tel-Aviv (it's about 40 minute drive
when traffic isn't bad, but in Israel it is considered far).  Some
swing dancers heard it accidentally, and now they follow it whenever
they can.
To sum up - instead of wailing, geu out there where young audiences
are.  Play for them - if you're good, they will like you, and at least
some will come for more!
Cheers,
Marek