[Dixielandjazz] Sweet Dixie & Le Dixieband at Montreal Jazz Festival

[Stephen G Barbone]

There seems to be some miss-information floating around about certain  
bands at the Montreal Jazz Festival: For example, Sweet Dixie was  
called "a country group",  Le Dixieband was called a vocal group and  
Montreal Dixie was dissed for playing cocktail music by list-mates.

FYI, below are the official Montreal Jazz Festival bios of Sweet Dixie  
and Le Dixieband. Also. their photo of Le Dixieband shows a  
traditional trumpet, trombone clarinet, banjo, tuba, drums line up.  
Hardly a vocal group. The photo of Sweet Dixie shows the same  
instrumentation except that a double bass replaces the tuba.

Sweet Dixie
When the itch hits and your feet start twitching into a two-step, you  
must be hearing the call of Sweet Dixie. With Pierre Perron leading  
the parade of clarinet and sax, every day is Fat Tuesday on the  
esplanade! Take a trip through the vivid colours and unforgettable  
Dixieland sounds of New Orleans.
Le Dixieband
All aboard for New Orleans! America's most exotic city endures, and  
these seasoned musicians from Lac Saint-Jean celebrate its repertoire  
of jazz classics. Their explosive energy and bonhomie remind us all of  
what makes the Crescent City swing and survive, from its wild past to  
its life-affirming present.
Also, below is the official bio of Montreal Dixie. IMO, the fact that  
they also interpret jazz standards, Latin Jazz and Cocktail Swing is  
simply an indication of the breadth of their musicianship. It appears  
that they are "working musicians" who do other things besides play at  
Festivals. As any working musician will tell you, they too have been  
known to interpret jazz standards, latin jazz and cocktail swing. (at  
weddings etc.) Their photo shows drums, helicon, trombone, saxophone,  
trumpet. This is the same, no chord instrumentation, that I worked  
with in a marching Dixieland Band gig (15 months) at the Showboat  
Casino in Atlantic City, except that I played clarinet instead of  
saxophone.

Montreal Dixie
Before forming Montréal Dixie and launching five extensive tours, the  
members of this quintet performed on cruise ships, sailing the seven  
seas of music. Along with their crowd-pleasing repertoire of  
traditional Dixieband, the group interprets jazz standards, Latin jazz  
and cocktail swing.

IMO, all 3 bands above qualify as OKOM.

Cheers

Steve Barbone

www.myspace.com/barbonestreetjazzband