[Dixielandjazz] Fifties College Jazz

[Stephen G Barbone]

Tom Duncan a/k/a  doctordubious at verizon.net wrote: (polite snip)
>
>
> It's great to know that many of us not only reminisce about "the  
> Fifties",
> but still play the same "college jazz" of those days. Any comments or
> remembrances . . . Steve Barbone . . . Craig Johnson . . . Any others?

I did a bunch of college gigs as a sideman with The Southampton Dixie,  
Racing and Clambake Society Jazz Band in the fifties. I was the  
"racing" member back then, racing a succession of sports cars. From  
1956 to 1962 I owned a Jag XK120M, traded it in on an Alfa Romeo  
Giulietta Veloce and finally traded that in on a Mercedes Benz 300SL  
Gullwing.

Circa 1960, I was driving cornetist Bill Barnes to an SDRCS winter  
college gig at Colgate. We were in the Gullwing and ran into a snow  
problem in upstate New York. Don't remember which road it was, but we  
were on a hilltop and there were high banks on each side, with the  
wind blowing at about 40 miles per hour across it. It had just stopped  
snowing, we could see blue sky above, however we could no longer see  
the road because of blowing snow. And there were no other cars on this  
stretch of road.

Bill got out in his long overcoat and trudged along the road between  
the banks as I followed, driver's door open and head out, so I could  
see him. I followed him for about a half mile before we emerged into a  
more protected region where we could see the road once again from  
inside the car. Bill got back in, covered with snow, frozen stiff and  
took a big pull from the bourbon bottle. He said, next time we'll use  
his car and I could be the guide. I laughed and reminded him that the  
Benz was a great snow car and his wasn't.

That night we played opposite a Rock band. The kids still preferred  
Dixieland and doused the rock band with pitchers of beer. Their music  
preferences would change shortly.

Cheers,
Steve  Barbone
www.myspace.com/barbonestreetjazzband

“Anything that is good Jazz is a great escape. When you’re involved in  
playing or listening to great Jazz, no one can get to you.” -Woody  
Herman