Trad Jazz — Hliue & Well In Oregon by George W. Earley Think of dreams. Think o f sparkles, floating in the air you can see it here or there, there’s magic everywhere. •Now I have told you my poem. And now you must The Forest ■>»• '*-*r — ... There’s mushrooms in the trees, • on the logs, and on the moss. There’s lots of animals in the forest; like deers and rabbits, elk. The deers run, they eat the grass. They have baby deers. They run from creatures; like hunters. There’s bears. They try to eat the deers. They eat fish. The rabbits eat carrots in the woods. There’s chipmunks; Thye live in the trees. They drop acorns on the ground. They get down the tree. They run faster than the bear. The hunter comes and then he kills the animals. The hunter takes the animals with him. I wish he would go away, and the tiger ate him. Halle Sweet, 5 yrs old, Falcon Cove Forest Farics here and there, forest fanes everywhere in the trees and in the leaves eating all the nuts and berries.... Forest Fanes are very merry. Lexi Kyle-Hammer, 7 yrs old. Seaside One man's wilderness is another man's theme park " Fans of traditional Jazz -- Ragtime, Dixieland, and the real old time gospel blues — had another fine weekend recently, this time in Sisters, Oregon, at the 7th Annual High Mountains Dixieland Jazz Festival. Even the weather cooperated, as it so often does for these joyful and fun-filled weekend events. By any measurement, the popularity of Trad Jazz seems to be on an upswing. Attendees are not limited, as critics of the form often claim, to the gray-haired geriatric set. More and more younger people are attending, re­ flecting, it seems to me, a move away from the shriek, shout and swear school of contemporary ’music.' For Trad Jazz, despite Its beginnings in bar rooms, bawdy houses and street bands, is, essentially, a gentle music. Loud and brash to be sure, with a pounding two-beat rhythm that sets feet to tapping and folks to dancing, it does so without turning dancers into body bumpers and mosh pit 'maulers.' As for the youth presence, the Sisters gathering not only saw families with children from a few months old to teenagers, but spotlighted "Hull's Angels," a youth jazz band from Fresno, CA. Formed in 1984, the band boasts a dynamite pianist In David Hull, the barely 11-year-old son of director Ed Hull [himself a tubist with Fresno's Blue Street Jazz Band] plus six other fine players, the oldest of whom is tubist Craig Shlgyo, 16. The band even had Its own CD for sale plus 'Play it Again, David,' a cassette of piano solos. How good are "Hull's Angels?" If you heard them without seeing them and being told their ages, you'd swear you were listening to a highly talented group of adults who'd been together a decade or more. Perhaps you're wondering how a Trad Jazz festival works. From what I've observed, they work far better than these lavishly promoted concerts and festivals of contemporary pop music. The festivals run 3 days, starting sometime during Friday afternoon and winding up around supper time Sunday. You can buy a badge for a day or for the entire festival . . . rarely will you pay over $50 for the entire weekend. Discounts are available for those who purchase badges a few months in advance. There are usually 10 bands and 5 venues where they play. These are usually within walking distance though free shuttle buses are provided for those who need or prefer them. A single performance or 'set,' runs 75 minutes with 15 minute breaks between sets. This means each band plays every other set with the breaks providing time for set up and take down as well as giving listeners the time to stretch their legs, visit the snack bar, boutique, Jan's Music Store or even visit the head or step outside for a smoke. Bapds not playing have their own lounge area where they can relax and 'recharge' themselves; 75 minutes of nearly non-stop playing is tiring! Also between breaks you'll find band 'moms' selling tapes and CDs and, sometimes, other band-related souvenirs like bumper stickers and newsletters. But for an eclectic collection of music and wearing apparel, fans head for the boutique and Jan's Music Store. The boutique can fit you out in the best Roaring 20's style; derby hats, caps, jackets, fringed 'flapper' dresses garnished with sequins, plus costume jewelry, much of It In the shape of musical Instruments. At the music store you; you'll meet Jan Scobey, widow of the late, great Bob Scobey whose Frisco Band did so much, some decades ago, to establish the City by the Bay as the west coast mecca for serious fans of Dixieland jazz. Jan not only offers an Incredible array of tapes and CDs, but books on the history of jazz, videos, sheet music and even such rarities as vinyl LPs from which many of today's CDs have been remastered. But what you see isn't all she has. For $10 you can acquire a 120 page catalog [write Jan Scobey's Hot Jazz, P.0. Box 6, Upper Lake, CA 95485-0006] that is very likely the most complete single source for all things jazzy. And it's more than a catalog. In it you'll find brief bios and historical notes on the greats, near-greats as well as the regrettably forgotten men and women of those marvelous turn-of-the-century jazz decades. Included in the current catalog are articles on such instruments as the trumpet and the soprano sax, a cranky and tricky-to-play instrument eschewed by many but which the legendary Sidney Bechet tamed and made his own. Yes, folks, Trad Jazz is alive and well in Oregon and elsewhere in this great nation of ours. Few are the states so unfortunate as to not have trad jazz festivals whose attendees come from all over America and other countries as well. Check the parking lot outside any jazz festival - there'll be RVs there from a dozen states or more, plus various Canadian provinces. I've even seen a vehicle or two from Mexico. Sisters was even attended by two Bavarians in full national rig, mit lederhosen und all. Jal While many of us can only attend 2 or 3 festivals a year, some folks are on the road half a year or more, following their favourite band[s] from festival to festival. In any given year,the Pacific northwest is host to a number of trad jazz festivals whose 1500 to 2000 or so attendees gather to enjoy the music and the camara­ derie that is a big part of any trad jazz festival. You'll hear such old familiar tunes as the St Louis Trad Jazz — A great way to spend a weekend. Plan now to be part of the 1998 trad jazz scene. Here's a list of a few of the nearby upcoming festivals and how to get all the info you'll need to attend. • 1st Northwest Fest, Seattle WA Jan 23, 24 & 25; call 1-800-348-5800 • The 1998 Oregon Dixieland Jubilee, Seaside OR, Feb 27, 28 & March 1st. Call: 1-800-394-3303 • 11th Annual Southcoast Dixieland Clambake, Coos Bay OR March 13, 14 & 15; call 1-800-676-7563 • Fourth Annual Spokane Dixieland Jazz Festival, May 29, 30 & 31; P.O. Box 1931, Spokane WA 99210 • 8th Annual America's Festival, Olympia WA, July 3,4, & 5; call 360-943-9123 • 8th Annual High Mountains Jazz Festival, Sisters OR, Sept 18, 19 & 20; write P.O. Box 248, Sisters OR 97759 • 16th Annual Diggin' Dixie at the Beach; early November. Write: Ocean Shores Dixieland Jazz Society, P.O. Box 293, Ocean Shores WA 98569 There you are -- a goodly number to choose from. Do come. You'll never regret it. .................................... UUU ..................................... George Earley is a member of the Oregon City Traditional Jazz Society. © 1998 by George W. Earley. All Rights Reserved. 1 THE M cBEE EL CO TTAGES iy. ¡family &