[Dixielandjazz] Talkers vs. listeners - a New Orleans Story from Mike Vax

[Norman Vickers]

To:  Musicians and Jazzfans; DJML

From:  Norman Vickers, Jazz Society of Pensacola, www.jazzpensacola.com

 

Trumpeter/leader of Stan Kenton Alumni Band/jazz educator Mike Vax relates one experience from the 70s.

Thanks, Mike.

 

From: vaxtrpts at aol.com [mailto:vaxtrpts at aol.com] 
Sent: Wednesday, August 29, 2012 12:39 AM
To: nvickers1 at cox.net
Subject: Re: Talkers vs. listeners - a New Orleans Story

 

Well, I guess I won't give exact examples of what I have heard Marvin Stamm and Rob McConnell say to an "unappreciative" audience, but you can imagine, I'm sure.  And both times the audience deserved it!

Here is my favorite story.  I think many people probably figure that Mardi Gras time in New Orleans can have the worst audiences, as far as talking, but the REALLY bad time can be during Sugar Bowl.  Talk about "amateur drunks?"

Well, one year while I was leading the Dukes of Dixieland - and we were playing in our club "Dukes Place," The University of Georgia was playing and one night we had a table of at least a dozen "fans."  Now, the club (at the top of the Monteleone Hotel on Royal Street) was pretty expensive to come in.  We had a cover charge and a two drink minimum.  It was packed with people this certain night and the "Georgia Table" were not only talking, they were being loud and obnoxious. We had actual show sets all through the night with a slide show behind us and such.  This was 1976 and we had a special "American Tribute" set for the bicentenial.  The set started out with just me playing "America the Beautiful."  Well, I knew what would happen and it did.  Everything got quiet and the lights were down ---- and these people would not stop.  So ------- I payed the first 8 bars and stopped and went up to the microphone and said "We are trying to do a tribute to the United States.  If you love your country, you will shut up and listen!"  As you can imagine, I got a standing ovation from the rest of the audience.  But - the one "ringleader" jerk took offense to my remarks and started to come towards me on stage.  A couple of pretty big (looked like ex-football players) stepped in front of him and he got the hint and went back to his seat.  I then said that we would be happy to refund thier cover charge and they could go somewhere else if they didn't want to hear our show.  Believe it or not, they actually quieted down and seemed to enjoy the rest of the evening.  

One of the interesting things about playing nightly in New Orleans back then, was watching all the "amateur drunks!"  I think that mom and pop from some small town in the mid-west somewhere, figured that since they were in New Orleans, they could just get loose and of course no one at home would ever know.  Luckily, most of them were happy drunks.

Mike Vax
Friends of Big Band Jazz, Prescott Jazz Summit, 
Stan Kenton Alumni Band
www.mikevax.net
www.bigbandjazz.net
www.prescottjazz.com
www.getzen.com