[Dixielandjazz] Sacramento Festival

[Robert Ringwald]

David RIchoux wrote regarding the Sacramento Music Festival, formerly 
Sacramento Jazz Jubilee,
formerly Old Sacramento Dixieland Jubilee:


“I am still not sure if the experiment  of bringing more variety of styles 
to the festival was a good idea or not - I really like groups such as Tower 
of Power, but maybe it was not exactly the best place to present their 
music.”


In retrospect you may be right. But since we cannot see the future, how 
would we know?

In the 80s one of the first bands we hired that was not strictly Classic or 
Dixieland Jazz was Igor’s Jazz Cowboys. Judging by size of audiences and CD 
sales, they were the most popular band at the Festival for many years. Then 
Tom Rigney came along and became number one.

Having more of a variety of Americana music enabled the Festival to go many 
more years. At that time, some devoted Dixieland fans felt that the other 
forms of music should have never been added. But, the people who like 
Classic Jazz were aging. When we started the Festival, lots of people were 
still alive who grew up in the “Jazz Age” and knew something about 
Traditional Jazz.

Now, the 60 and 70 year old people grew up in the Rock era and know nothing 
about Traditional Jazz and most could care less. They think music started 
with Elvis or the Beatles. Plus the competition from other events plus TV 
with hundreds of channels have taken much of our audience.

One of many things that did us in I think was the huge Rock Festival that 
was started a few years ago on the same weekend in the Napa area. That took 
the young people away from our Festival.

When we started the Festival in 1974, we were the only game in town. 
Sacramento was not a destination town. No one hung around Sacramento on 
Memorial Day weekend. You could shoot a cannon down First street and maybe 
kill 3 flies. But no people. We took the town by storm and put it on the 
map.

But, like anything else, it ran its coarse. Times have changed. We are not 
the only Festival to go away. Over the past 20 years, many Festivals have 
closed. I understand the Lacy WA Festival is no more and the Madison WI 
Festival will be having their last Festival soon.

Time marches on, whether we like it or not.

-Bob Ringwald





Bob Ringwald piano, Solo, Duo, Trio, Quartet, Quintet
Fulton Street Jazz Band (Dixieland/Swing)
916/ 806-9551
Check out my performing schedule: www.ringwald.com/schedule.php
Amateur (ham) Radio Station K6YBV

“If you don't read the newspaper you are uninformed,
if you do read the newspaper you are misinformed.” -- Mark Twain



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