Post 524: THE SHOTGUN JAZZ BAND; AND THE GOLDEN AGE

We are certainly living in a Golden Age of traditional jazz. Although most of us can't get to New Orleans or the few other places in the world where top-quality music is constantly being played, the wonders of YouTube assure us that it exists all right.

Only a few days ago, blog readers urged me to watch the recent 54-minute video of The Loose Marbles:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9EFAhHT9AEE&t=17s
It was sensationally good and gave me huge pleasure.

Now, readers have told me also to watch the video of similar length which shows The Shotgun Jazz Band playing at the same event (The Abita Springs Buskers Festival, 2016):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jvoau6EoMxI

Both of these videos were professionally made by Radio Station WWOZ; and the sound quality is excellent. We have to thank Alice Glick for uploading them.

Whereas The Loose Marbles performed on the day with ten musicians, The Shotgun Jazz Band uses its core five (three of them also in The Loose Marbles video, of course).

Yet again, The Shotgun Band gives us all a lesson in how traditional jazz - at the highest levels of performance - should be played. John Dixon is one of the very best banjo players to be heard anywhere - absolutely solid and reliable. In combination with Tyler Thomson (the world's best string bass player in this genre), he underpins everything this band plays with perfect chords and a perfect pulse. Note Tyler's solo chorus in China Boy (beginning at 45 minutes 36 seconds).

James Evans (reeds), Marla Dixon (trumpet and vocals) and Charlie Halloran (trombone) have all reached the very top of their profession. But they are not just outstanding individual musicians; they demonstrate great teamwork, supporting each other in a hundred subtle ways.

At 30 minutes 30 seconds, you can hear an exemplary performance of The Original Dixieland One-Step.

A little incidental treat is that Chloe Feoranzo joins in on Uptown Bumps.

And note throughout the video the varied and wonderful effects Marla can achieve with mutes. 

Dip into this video anywhere. You will discover music that brings tears of joy to your eyes.

I hope you watch it all. Don't make excuses.

But if you really can't spare more than a minute or so right now, at least watch the beginning of Breeze (10 minutes 20 seconds to 11 minutes 30 seconds) to be reminded of what beauty a great band can find in even the simplest material.

Post 500: SHAKE 'EM UP AT ABITA BUSKERS FESTIVAL 2017

On Sunday 23 April 2017 the annual Buskers Festival was held at Abita Springs, on the north side of Lake Pontchartrain. For those of you who don't know the area, it's about 45 miles north of New Orleans.

Six fine bands played for an hour each between midday and early evening. They included some of our favourites, such as The Hokum High Rollers, The Gentilly Stompers, the all-ladies Shake 'Em Up Jazz Band and Tuba Skinny. 

It was a glorious event; and the great news is that the New Orleans radio station WW0Z made excellent videos of the entire proceedings. 

Many of you have told me you have become big fans of the Shake 'Em Up Jazz Band. They gave a lovely performance in which, as usual, the ladies played some outstanding traditional jazz, while making it all look so relaxed and simple, which of course it isn't. Chloe by the way plays a Buffet E11 clarinet with a Vandoren M13 Lyre mouthpiece. The fluidity of some of her improvisations was mind-boggling; but the playing from the entire band was outstanding. And Molly was a power-house on guitar and also contributed vocals on Sweet Substitute and My Silent Love.

The programme included those old favourites The Onions (though surprisingly the audience did not seem aware that they were required to shout 'Onions' in all the breaks!) and Eh La Bas, with Marla singing the original creole patois. Dizzy's playing was spot-on as usual; and she was featured on Washboard Wiggles.

And Haruka was on her usual fine form.

Other highlights were Savoy Blues, Shake It and Break It and When You Wore a Tulip – one of several vocals delivered by Chloe.

It was so good to be able to watch Julie in close-up and admire what a fine string bass player she has become. She told me in 2016 (the only occasion when I have had the privilege of speaking with her) that she had not been playing the instrument for many months.

Yet now Julie is one of the best bass players on the New Orleans scene, accurate, rock-solid - a driving force.

I imagine this band rarely has the chance to get together to discuss repertoire and rehearse, so the slickness and teamwork are all the more impressive.

But enough from me. Watch the video for yourself. Go to:

https://livestream.com/accounts/21714146/events/7258879

There you will see (on the right of the page) that the entire Festival has been divided into four videos. To find Shake 'Em Up, click on the second from the top - the one that runs for 2 hours and 8 minutes. Slide the time bar to about 1 hour 9 minutes for the start of their performance.

Elsewhere in the four videos, you will be able to listen to all the other bands at the Festival, including Tuba Skinny playing such tunes as Pearl River Stomp, Cold Morning Shout, Bellamina, Fireworks, Kansas City Stomps and (for the first time on video?) Come On and Stomp Stomp Stomp.

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