Performance Diary

Last Saturday the Kenwood Players had a little Dixieland performance on the downtown mall in Charlottesville, Va and this snapshot was taken right before we started, with the trombone player just out of the shot to the left. Our regular trombone players were both unable to join us, so Dick, the trumpeter in the white cap, asked a friend in a big band he plays in to fill in. 

This was all part of a big band festival put on by the Orange and Charlottesville bands, with a dozen community bands from around the state scheduled to play from 9:00 a.m. until 8:00 p.m. Unfortunately that weather system, el derecho, came through the night before and Virginia got whacked, some people still without power even today. One group's bus was damaged by a tree overnight and the army band was dispatched to clean-up duties.

We had a nice little crowd for the Dixieland, with nearly a dozen pre-school age children sitting on the bricks in front of us fascinated by it all. 

That was at 10:30 a.m. and it was only in the low 90's. When the Orange Community Band played at 5:30 in the pavilion at the end of the mall it was close to 100, so that audience was sparse. (Also, half the traffic lights weren't working and over half the city was without power.) We played well, but I kept noticing I'd never felt my horn so warm to the touch, and the heat and humidity did something to the sound - it seemed more tactile and vaguely felt and sounded like we were under water.

Dixieland

Last Friday evening A Touch of Dixie played an unamplified outdoor set over at the Orange County Fair, just over Chicken Mountain on the grounds of James Madison's Montpelier. If you've ever been there, the fair was in the open space back behind the old Montpelier Store, across Rt 20 from the Montpelier Station Post Office.

Just like every other time we've played, I'm always struck by how live Dixieland jazz can just make folks feel happy. We had some children come up and dance with the music, and afterwards a number of people came up with sparkling eyes and broad smiles to say how much they'd enjoyed it. Sometimes I think I might have had more effect as a music therapist by simply playing banjo in Dixieland bands all this time.

Orange Community Band

One of the people who has done a lot of the work organizing and administering the Orange Community Band, the indefatigable Tom M., has begun a web site for the group. There's a link to the Dixie group on the page as well. Tom plays alto sax in the band and tenor sax with the Dixies. There are photos of maestro and of Al and Barb, who blew into town and created the the chorus and band out of thin air. Al also leads the little Presbyterian ensemble where I get to play flute and horn. The Friday group, that performs as The Kenwood Players, is drawn from the concert band.

I grew up in Orange in the 50's and 60's, went away to school and work, and returned in the 90's. There have been a lot of changes in the county. Having all these musical opportunities is one of the best as far as I'm concerned.

The Exaltation of Channeling Music

Last night I got to lead three sing alongs, one in the first set and two in the second set of the Touch of Dixie performance for Music on Main Street. Every time I've had the opportunity to do this I've had the suspicion the amazing feeling I get is a one off thing that will wear off, but so far that's not happening. Leading a sing along with the banjo is old hat for me, but leading a sing along with the help of a Dixieland band is new and takes things up several levels.

Part of it is I don't have to work so hard just to create the music to be sung along with. And somehow, leading the band with the banjo has the effect of making leading the audience in singing much easier. Maybe it's the band modeling for the audience how the music should sound.

On a practical note, the simpler Joshua Fit The Battle Of Jericho, which didn't require a song sheet, went much better that Just A Closer Walk, which does require a song sheet. I've been working up a simple arrangement of Down By The Riverside, which has a simple refrain and call and response verses, and I think it could work well for the Dixes.