[Dixielandjazz] Jazz Takes a Back Seat at N.O. J & H. -- Sacramento

[Robert Ringwald]

Jim O'Briant wrote responding to an article by Brian Ross regarding the lack of Jazz at the NOJAHF:

>> Maybe it is time that the promoters of the annual April/May 
>> music festival in New Orleans fess up. Jazz may get top 
>>billing on the signage and the posters at the New Orleans 
>>Jazz & Heritage Festival, but it rides the back of the bus
(snip)

>> Was he writing about New Orleans or Sacramento?

Scott Anthony replied:

> Here, here, Jim! (Boy, are we going to get in trouble!)

Rae Ann also chimes in:

> Good question, Jim. My thoughts, too.

Likewise Karen Brooks, posts:
 
> I absolutely think that jazz - especially Trad Jazz - is at the back of the bus (maybe
> not even on it?) at both Sacramento and N.O.J. & H festivals. 


Be aware that my comments below are strictly mine alone.  Even though I am a member of the STJS Board of Directors, I am not speaking in that capacity.  I am strictly giving my personal views on the subject.  Also, my comments below are perhaps not as polite as Charlie Hull's and Jim Roberson's.  But I have never been known for not saying it like it is...  

Needless to say, after being involved with the Sacramento Jazz Festival and Jubilee for some 38 years, being on the Board of Directors of its sponsoring club STJS (Sacramento Traditional Jazz Society) for 10 years this time and a similar length of time in the 70s, being closely involved with most aspects of the Festival including the budget, seeing how hard the members have worked to keep a Jazz festival in Sacramento, the COMMENTS above REALLY, really . . . . PISS ME OFF.  

Jim, Scott, Karen and Rae Ann are good friends, but I still have to speak my piece and say shame on you for publicly degrading the Sacramento Festival and insulting the many people who have worked so hard to keep a Jazz festival in Sacramento.    

Over the past 38 years since the Sacramento Festival first started, all of you, including me, have seen the Traditional Jazz scene change.  We have all seen Festivals that refuse to add music other than Trad Jazz, either struggle or go away completely.  

You all know, including everyone else on DJML, what the Trad Jazz scene is like in this country.  Some of you all know that Sacramento barely escaped bankruptcy 8-years ago.  But through very hard work, we saved it.    

Everyone knows  that Sacramento has added other forms of Jazz related music that bring in paying customers because the amount of paying customers who buy tickets just for Trad Jazz has declined.  

You know all of this but still choose to denigrate the Sacramento Jazz Festival on a public forum which has close to 600 members world-wide.  

Have you not noticed how many OKOM festivals have either gone broke or have cut down the amount of bands and musicians that they now hire?  

Here, from the Festival web site, is just a portion of the list of bands and musicians that will be featured at the 38th annual Sacramento Jazz Festival
May 27-30, 2011.  


Banu Gibson Hot Jazz including Bill Allred and Jon-Erik Kellso
Black Dogs
Carl Sonny Leyland
Hal Smith's International Sextet
Neville Dickie from England
Vince Bartels All Stars 
101 Army Dixieland Band
Big Mama Sue Quartet
Bill Dendle & Eddie Erickson
Blue Street
Catsnjammers Jazz Band
Cornet Chop Suey
Dr. Bach and the Jazz Practitioners
Dutch and the Gramercy 6
Fulton Street Jazz Band
Margie and the Hot 5
Natural Gas JB
Pearl Django
Red Skunk Jipsee Swing Band
Royal Society Jazz Band
Shelly Burns Avalon Swing
Sister Swing
St Louis Rivermen
Stompy Jones
New Low Down
The Professors
Wally's Warehouse Waifs
Yve Evans and Co.

Plus the Ragtime Corner with many Ragtime pianists.  

With these 29 bands playing OKOM plus many other types of bands playing Blues, Zydico, Western Swing, Novelty, What more do you expect us to Do?  

Sure, your favorite band may not be there this year.  If we hired everyone's favorite band, and brought back all the bands who have performed in past years as some folks want us to do, we'd be 2 million dollars in debt and that would be the end of the Festival.  There would be one less OKOM festival on the already shrinking festival scene.         

 BTW- How many of you have put on a successful Jazz festival?  All of you live in the SF Bay area.  Why is there no Jazz festival in SF, or surrounding area that hires OKOM (Our Kind Of Music)?  If you four know so much about putting on and maintaining a Jazz Festival, that you can criticize Sacramento, why don't you get together and put on a Jazz Festival in the SF Bay area, San Jose and Marin County area?  After all, you have so many more people to draw from then we do here in Sacramento.  I'm sure that with your vast knowledge of how to successfully run a Jazz festival, you guys could make a go of it.  

And while I am at it, why is there no major (Classic Jazz, Traditional Jazz, (Dixieland OKOM) festivals in other large cities such as Chicago, Miami, NY, Houston, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, Boston, Dallas, etc?  And only one in Los 
Angeles that is shrinking every year.  I am sure that there are a lot of folks sitting around saying, "I could do it better than Sacramento."  Well...  

Reminder, for complete info on the Sacramento Jazz Festival and Jubilee

www.sacjazz.com

For info on the Sacramento Traditional Jazz Society

www.sacjazz.org

For The Fulton Street Jazz Band's Festival schedule:

www.fultonstreetjazz.com/schedule.php


--Bob Ringwald
www.ringwald.com