[Dixielandjazz] All God's Chillun Got Rhythm

[Stephen G Barbone]

> Marek Boym <marekboym at gmail.com> wrote (polite snip)
>
> The Breda Jazz Festival is mostly free and outdoors.  Thus, people who
> just pass the Grotte Markt (the Great Market), with no intention to
> listen to jazz, are exposed to various styles of OKOM (and, in the
> recent years, other kinds of music as well).  No wonder there are
> young audiences, or rather - young people in the audience.  And it
> must rub off on some.  I saw several generations there, enjoying jazz
> together: great-grand mothers and fathers, grand-mothers and fathers,
> parents and children, often toddlers.  It also proves that all God's
> chillun got rhythm - until we spoil them.  You can see lots of little
> kids dancing to the music and enjoying themselves.

Amen, Marek.

I just got home from our annual Funeral Service for the Old Year  
(2009) at the Unitarian Church in Germantown (Philadelphia PA)

The service is an outline of a New Orleans Funeral with our band  
playing the traditional dirges and second line tunes. It is always  
jammed with families and lots of kids who follow us in a second line  
as we end the service marching the casket around the church to "Saints".

As that ended, we were asked to do an encore and so we played an  
energetic By and By from the altar. The kids all came up and sat down  
in the space between the aisles and the altar. 20 by 50 feet or so, of  
open floor. We went down from the altar to mingle with them and their  
moms. They smiled broadly, danced and had a wonderful time as did we.   
My only regret is that I had forgotten to bring some Mardi Gras beads  
to give to these young folks, (3 to 10 years old), who were having  
such a swinging time with the music. Ah well, next year, as I noted it  
in my 2011 gig book.

As you say, All God's Chillun Got Rhythm.

Cheers,
Steve Barbone
www.myspace.com/barbonestreetjazzband