[Dixielandjazz] FW: Flirting With The Audience, now "museum music"

[Jim Kashishian]

Hi, Bob.

I certainly didn't wish to come off as "bragging" by stating that we have
plenty of club dates in Madrid.  I of course do know that I am extremely
fortunate to be in an area where there is still a very lively night scene. I
also realize that it is a very different scene in the U.S.

Madrid has a very vibrant night life, and people are always out on the
streets, not in cars, but walking!  Most of the downtown area is blocked
from traffic, creating huge pedestrian zones.
Last nite, when leaving the club at 1am, I could barely get out the door for
the gangs of people out on the street!  The place we were playing at is an
"early nite club", as the kid's Night Clubs don't even open their doors
until well after 1am, and are going strong until 7am....every nite of the
week.

Anyway, the point I was trying to make was that our music is not a museum
piece by any means. The kids do know a lot of the tunes....just not
necessarily the old, old ones.  Hello Dolly, What a Wonderful World, The
Saints (of course!), Mr. Sandman, Cabaret, The Pink Panther, In the Mood,
etc., will always get people's attention.  We toss those in between other
less known jazz tunes, and get a good level of attention!  Our audience is
mainly 18 to 40 yr olds, with a drop of an older crowd.  Most are not jazz
fans, but people that enjoy a happy sound.  I'm quite pleased with that!!

Mike Woitowicz wrote:
>Unless the musicians performing the music re-invent their playlists and
performances to correspond to today's customers, the musical work will
disappear.

We have done just that, slipping in the more known tunes little by little,
and continue to entertain the old & the young...and, get hired!  

As an added note, thank goodness for the active club scene, as since 2008
and the economic crisis, our bigger concert gigs (concerts supported by
local city halls, company dinners, weddings) have dropped drastically.  I
don't see that ever coming back to the level it once was. 

Jim Kashishian, Madrid