[Dixielandjazz] A Diverse Entertained Audience

[Gluetje1 at aol.com]

I know where to find audiences being well entertained by Dixieland.   But 
generally here in St. Louis such audiences are not that diverse  and you know 
what I mean.  So I was delighted last night to walk in a large  restaurant 
and bar at 6 p.m. and have to wait 30" for seating because  a large young 
and racially diverse crowd was listening to Dixieland.
 
 
Enough did leave (mostly young families) that we got seats,  wonderfully on 
the front row.  And delightfully we watched an audience,  attracted by the 
first set, become glommed to the music for the even  tighter second set.  A 
few of we oldsters had no problem "teaching"  those who had wandered in the 
norm of applauding solos.  And  pretty soon no one was leaving.  The band 
was the Reunion Jazz Band.   The music was tighter with a more solidified, 
driving beat that what I  had checked in a couple of their web samples.  They 
stuck, in this setting,  with the tried and true tunes, a very smart choice 
for the audience they  had.
 
A couple of years ago, I had watched another Dixieland band, talented  
musicians all, slowly empty this same establishment.  It could have just  been a 
coincidence.  But, I suspect it was choice of repertoire.  And  those of us 
who may know a few more tunes did not mind a bit that the tunes were  
familiar -- the music was hot!  And I love to see young audience  building.
 
Ginny