[Dixielandjazz] concert report

[Jim Kashishian]

Just back from a trip to the northern coast of Spain for a concert in a
large city's concert hall....part of their cultural program.  Great audience
of 1,000 of all ages.  Enthusiastic from the start!  That's unusual, as we
normal have to "work our way" into their hearts little by little, since jazz
isn't something people here everyday here.
 
We played this same gig four years ago, and were pleased to see the series
of concerts started up again after all of the economic problems.  This sort
of spending has disappeared, basically, since around 2008, unfortunately. It
was, in many cases, the "Cajas", regional collective banks that supported
these activities as they were required by law to feed some of their earnings
back into society.  These are the very banks you are reading about in the
headlines that are in such trouble.  They fed too much of their earnings to
society (their own pockets?), and that's where we are today!
 
Anyway, it was fun to play to an audience that wasn't drinking & chatting,
and we had a successful hour and a quarter.  The sound was all prepared when
we arrived, and a run-thru of a couple of tunes was all it took to get good
monitoring & room sound.  The manager was there & presented me with a bank
slip proving moneys had been transfered to our bank account!  Always nice
news.  
 
We usually do an encore with The Saints (one of the few songs Spaniards seem
to recognize!), but this time I surprised the band by announcing What A
Wonderful World.  I said, in just a few words that we read & see enough bad
news, and I wanted to end the concert in a possitive tone, therefore I chose
this tune.  That was well accepted (my little speech), and I was very
sincere about it.  (Turned on the news when I got back to Madrid, and there
was that terrible cinema shooting in Colorado to remind me that we need to
count our blessings as often as possible!)
 
Of course, after that we had to end with The Saints.  Pepe (trumpet) & I
paraded out in the audience, but I was unlucky in choosing the wrong gals
for a conga line, and no one got up.  Can't win 'em all!  Then, I found a
young boy in the front row asleep (it was almost midnite!).  Figured it was
time to end the concert!!!
 
Change of shirt, and a pop into a café near our hotel for an icecream, a
coffee, and a brandy glass topped up with Anis (an anisette/licorice type
liquor!).  4 hr drive back home the next day (today)...going from the cool,
northern weather (around 75) to Madrid's constant of around 100º F!
 
Jim