[Dixielandjazz] Support live jazz!

[Marek Boym]

Hello listmates,
Just back from another excellent (not "just another") Isradixie show.
Wow!
The first half had the band accompanying cartoons.  The band had the
orchestras and dancers in the cartoons synchronized with its music, and it
was great fun.  The bassist, who subbed for the usual tuba, played electric
rather than double bass, probably because it could be set to sound like a
tuba - and it really did when they showed a tuba solo on the screen!  The
other musicians also had their solos synced with the instruments shown.

Good as that part was - great fun - after the interval it became even
better.  The musicians returned carrying Santa Claus hats; most put them on
the floor, but Paul stuck his in his belt, sop that it looked like a bunny
tail. The band was in wonderful mood, at it showed throughout.  Music vs.
entertainment was discussed here not long ago.  Tonight's show showed how
well they go together.  Lots of good stage routines that did not detract
from the high calibre of the music!  The singer and player of various weird
instruments - pots, spoons, etc., Paul Moore, was in fantastic form, full
of jokes, mostly in English.  And what a showman!  Most of the evening he
played the washboard, but he played other instruments as well.  For
example, he tied his kazoo to the toes of a bent plastic  leg, and held it
like a saxophone, which elicited a lot of laughter. The words he sang were
not exactly as written (since he is from London, I am using English
understatement), and very funny.
The two octogenarians, Jacques Sany on soprano and Merton Cahm on tenor sax
and clarinet, seem to be like extremely good wine, still maturing with
age.  They seemed to be playing even better than usual.  And the bands
varies its arrangements all the time.  And extends the repertoire.  One new
song it played tonight was A Mois de Payer (it was discussed on the list
not long ago), arranged by the trumpeter-leader Avraham Felder.  Since it
is the Hanukkah holiday, Felder arranged some Hanukkah songs.   That was
followed by "Jingle Bells," for which the band put the Santa hats on.  Then
came the obligatory Saints (for the second time - they played it with  the
cartoons as well), with the band marching among the tables.
Good solos abounded: Yossi Regev's trombone was hot and swinging, Aharoni
Ben-Ari played some very melodic and swinging solos on his six string
banjo, the drummer Amir David, who also arranged the cartoons, together
with the basest Dima (I don't recall his surname) gave the band a splendid
lift.
The band is very original and creative, and has a distinctive sound; even
overplayed standards sound different after Felder gets done with them.
A wonderful evening of music and entertainment.
Cheers