[Dixielandjazz] Where are the Young People?

[Marek Boym]

I am not Elazar's spokesman, but let me point out that he actually
gave examples of young people who DID want to pay (or make their
parens pay) because they loved the music.

In one thing you are probably right - young people prefer younger
bands.  Both Israeli bands that draw young paying audiences are
relatively young.  Isradixie and Good Time Jazz, good as they are,
draw mainly older audiences, althou even there most people are younger
than I.
Cheers
>
> Dear Larry, Elazar, Listmates:
>
> I respectfully disagree that young people will not pay to hear OKOM in the
> USA and here's why.
>
> There is a young (25 or so now) man here in the Philadelphia area that plays
> OKOM on piano and trumpet. Broad repertoire of Fats Waller songs. He courts
> the young people his own age. He has regular gigs at bars, restaurants, with
> young band mates at lounges filled with young people. Here are a few venues
> where he plays continuing gigs with  various sized bands
>
> The Farmer's Cabinet in Philadelphia
>
> Swing Dances at Univ of Pennsylvania
>
> Historic Hotel Bethlehem
>
> The Bookstore in Bethlehem PA
>
> Swing dances in Pottstown PA
>
> Like me, he has so many gigs that he must hire subs in order to cover them
> all. I get quite a few sub gigs from him. And he's subbed some of the older
> guys like Dan Levinson, Marty Grosz et al. Like me, he often has multiple
> gigs on the same night. And guess what? While I pride myself on the number
> of gigs I get, he gets more.
>
> The audiences at these venues are mostly YOUNG people. His regular sidemen
> are mostly YOUNG people. Do you see a pattern here?
>
> Most young people, at least here in the Philadelphia area, do not rush out
> to see us old fart OKOM bands UNLESS the old fart bands ENTERTAIN them. And
> among those old fart bands that play OKOM here, mine is the only one that
> ENTERTAINS young people. Thus I get gigs with young audiences.
>
> Part of it is I tell them stories about what jazz was a century ago. That is
> was sex, booze, drugs and freedom that drew the musicians and the audiences.
> That their great grandparents who were attracted to jazz were exactly the
> same as kids today who are attracted to Rap, or those a generation ago that
> were attracted to Rock. Same S*** Different Day
>
> Etc., etc., etc. And we sing the double entendre songs. It's the message not
> some old fashioned arrangement that draws them.
>
> Why don't old farts bands get gigs with young audiences? Same reason old
> farts don't get jobs in the regular day gig world. They think and act too
> old, too ready to accept defeat and become the victim..
>
> Cheers,
> Steve Barbone
> www.myspace.com/barbonestreetjazzband
>
>
>
>
>
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