[Dixielandjazz] Sacramento Music Festival

[jjcrhhi at aol.com]

Regarding Jim O'Bryant's comment that he prefers to go to festivals that offer more trad rather than less...I don't know of any festival that offers more trad and swing than our festival in Sacamento.  The RV situation is a different matter. Since we left the Cal Expo site for financial reasons several years ago (we could not make that site pay, no matter how many people showed up) we have been unable to offer a satisfactory solution for our RV patrons.  We tried the Raley Field area across the river from Old Sacramento a few years ago, and we offered RV parking, but our fans didn't seem to want to cross the river to hear good jazz.  Then we tried to work a deal with an RV park, but they didn't have enough spaces...so we have not done well regarding RV parking.  However, we can only do what we can do.  We cannot solve every desire that certain jazz fans may have, including cheap housing...we cannot spoon feed great jazz to people who don't want to pay to hear it.  It costs money to put these festivals on and provide transportation and housing for the artists who travel from all parts of the country and even the world to perform for our fans.  If you love the music and want to hear it, you have to get yourself to the festival and buy a ticket.  Ticket prices have gone up over the years because of rising costs...welcome to the real world.  We have worked really hard to keep our prices down, but there is only so much we can do.  We have to accept financial realities for our festival to survive.  Please come enjoy the Sacramento Music Festival next memorial day.  If you are a trad and swing fan you will not be disappointed.
Jim Roberson