[Dixielandjazz] Dresden

[Jim Kashishian]

It has been asked, on djml, if at the Dresden festival the parade is a cost
to the bands, etc.

We played (Canal Street Jazz Band, Spain) that festival the May just months
before the Berlin Wall came down.  We were paid quite well for our
appearance, albeit in the Eastern money of that period...which could not be
removed from the country!  (We spent it while there on various items.)
Everything was paid for, including our flights from Madrid (& a seat paid
for for our contrabass).  Rooms and meals were all paid for.  We were also
supplied with "guides" which were always waiting in the lobby for us,
everytime we appeared.  "Oh, I'm just going out for an icecream", we would
say, and the chap would say that he'd love to have one, also...and, off we
would all go.  We were not allowed to wander around by ourselves in that
period.  These "guides" spoke perfect Spanish, but of course we all speak
"street Spanish", not the stuff learned in books, so goodness knows what
they reported back to their superiors at the end of each day.  Our trumpeter
(about 5 feet tall) was greatly impressed by the tall, German girls, and was
very vocal as to how he felt!   :>

The parade was much more fun then than what I see in this modern day video.
No trucks for us, it was horse drawn carriages, with no sound provide, so it
was really just the front line & drums playing.  The people were not
gathered on the sidewalks on each side of the street as in this video, but
were en mass all over the streets.  You just could not see any pavement
anywhere..just people!  But, those were other times!

We played several concerts in halls, and theaters, and one in a park to
10,000 people, aside from the parade.  All very well organized, of course.
We were bussed everyplace.  Very enjoyable.

Most of the bands present were from Germany, and everyone (as in the video
we have just seen) clapped on 1 & 3, which must be a very German thing.
Other than our band, a band from the U.S., and a Polish band, all bands were
of the tuba & banjo style of Dixieland.  The U.S. band was listed as an
All-Star band, but was very obviously a pickup band of guys that had never
played together.  

At the concert in the park we wouldn't play until everyone greeted us with a
huge "Buenos Dias" which was great fun, and the crowd ended up that first
song by shouting all together a huge "Ole", a word normally reserved for
bullfights, but the Germans seemed to know it!  They shouted it to us on the
streets as we walked around during the day, recognizing us.  Great fun, but
we never ever use that word!   :>

Jim