Page 6 West Vancouver Historical Society March 2002 FEATURE PRESENTATION REPORT COME SWING WITH US INTO THE NEW YEAR! Our year ctrtainly began w ith a swing! Ron MacQueen played some wonde sieps - the "Cake Walk", "One-Step" and the "Two-Step" among others. Those Ron MacQueen, began our evening by playing a Dulch Swing College Band recording of "At the Jazz Band Ball" and that set the lone for the remainder of the night. Ron's passion is Dixieland music and its history, and he certainly communicated his knowledge and enthusiasm to us. So, let us go back to the beginning, hi the mid-1800's, even before Dixieland came into being, music was very popuhir. Every family who could afford one had a piano- it was part of family life, and ladies with social aspirations were taught to play very genteel piano pieces in the parlour. Of course this was before die advent of the cinema, radio or television, and people made their own entertainment, with family and friends gathered round the piano singing the popular songs of the day. Gentlemen did not usually play the piano in the mid-1800's - that came along years later when ragtime swept Uirough the western world. We are, of course, in the prim and proper Victorian era, when sheet music was the order of the day and the songs which were popular were sentimental ballads, mostly bewailing lost loves and broken romances and (a great hit) children imploring alcoholic fathers to "come home". Dixieland w'as born in the streets of New Orleans, in the red light district of Sloryville, around 1890 - 1910. It was a mixture of the various cultures which teemed in that city- mostly Acadian, English, French, Spanish and African - and bands were hired for just about every special occasion the citizens could think of - funerals being one of the most popular. Which of us have not seen at least one or two films where the street band played solemn music on the w'ay to the cemetery and blasted out joyous, lively music on llie way back to the piirty w'hich inevitably took place to celebrate the life of the departed! "Dixieland was bom in the streets of New Orleans ..." The music is defined by an infectious rhythm and it carries the melody along with it. It is definitely toe-lapping music and it came truly into its own in tlie "Roaring Twen- ties", enjoying a vigorous revival in the 40's and 50's. It was also most popular in Britain in the 50's and 60's, w'hen it was usually referred to ns "Trad Jazz" - remember? It is still a very popular style of music today ajid there are hundreds of small bands of happy musicians who play for their own, and their audiences', delight Uiroughout the world. The topical Dixieland band consists of an>^'here from 3 to 8 insinimenis - tlie rhjiTim section having a piano, a banjo or guitar, a tuba or siring biiss, atid drums. Tlie front line - called that because tliey usually stand up front to play - consists of a trumpet or cornet, a trombone and a reed instniment - u.sually a saxophone or ckirinel. Belore tlie world of tlie somewhat overused amplifier, many b;uids preferred iTie sound of the guitar tuid string bass. The music Lakes on a life of its ouai, with musicians improvising as tliey are carried away with tlie slieer joy of perfoniiing. Tliey can play for hours at a lime witliout, apparently, tiring. By: Anne Vernon rful Dixieland music for us cuid he, and his wife Marion, danced the "Old Time" who braved the snow to come to our meeting certainly had a night to savour. Ron and his wife, Marion, have been Dixieland fans for many years and have attended concerts all over the continent. In fact, tliey have formed the Vancouver Dixieland Jazz Society in an effort to preserve the music- but more later. We had an evening of joyous music, with Ron and Marion showing us how the original "Cake Walk", "One-Step" and "Two-Step" dances were performed - our modern dance steps, as with Uie music - all stem from the original "folk" music first performed in the New Orleans red light district! When you listen to the 1920's jazz recordings of Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington you can see how the Jazz, Chicago style, was really Dixieland changed just a little for northern tastes. . . over 100 years old. Dixieland is not played in many schools ..." Ron played many recordings for us - from a pre- Dixieland lullaby through the aforementioned Cake Walk, One-Step and Two-Step numbers, marches, rags, gospel and blues. The music was wonderful and the audience re- sponded - heads were nodding and feet were tapping. At one point it seemed people might get up and join Ron and Marion on the fioor! Dixieland has a style all its own w'hich, once heard, stays in the mind and in the feet. The soaring notes of the brass instruments, linked to the syncopation from the piano player and the wonderful interweaving of tliemes from all of the participating players make joyous and uplifting music, or - if they are playing the blues - music which tugs at the heartstrings. Whichever you are listening to, it stays w'ith you and sends you on your way rejoicing. Is there a downside to all of this pleasure? Well yes, unfortunately, there is. Although now over TOO years old. Dixieland is not played in many schools so our youngsters (unless they have parents or friends who are "hooked" on it) are not exposed to this style of musical culture, which means that fewer and fewer musicians are coming up the pipeline w'ith tlie knowledge and love of this different musical style. It was their discovery of lliis fact which urged Ron and Marion to form the Vancouver Dixieland Jazz club a few years ago to promote the legendary music. Want to know more - then read below! The next Vancouver DixieFest will be held in North Surrey on October 4-8, 2002, at the Sheraton Guildford Hotel, 15269 - 104 Avenue, right across from the gigantic Canadian flag. It will feature 9 bands: 1 each from Ontario, Washington, Oregon and Arizona, the rest from B.C. Music will be played in 4 venues in the hotel, 3 with large wooden dance floors. Information about the society and festival can be found on the internet at www.vcn.bc.ca/vdjs - or by telephoning 604-987-6544.