SwingOrama

[hihat]

It's almost time for the Dixieland Festival!

The festivities begin Wednesday night at 7:00 in the Town & Country Room, where the High Society Jazz Band and Hal's Angels alternate sets.

Thursday afternoon, a trio with Anita Thomas, Carl Sonny Leyland and yours truly will serenade the diners at the Town & Country's Thanksgiving Buffet. Intermission piano will be played by Mr. Butch Thompson--of "A Prairie Home Companion" fame. Five Bands perform Thursday night beginning at 7:00 p.m.

Friday and Saturday, Hal's Angels, High Society Jazz Band, Carl Sonny Leyland and Butch Thompson play, plus Cornet Chop Suey; Gremoli; Mighty Aphroodite Jazz Band; Yerba Buena Stompers; Blue Street Jazz Band; Jazzdagen All-Stars with Nina Ferro and Bob Draga; Paris Washboard with Jeff Barnhart; Buck Creek Jazz Band; Eva Emengerova; Red Rose Jazz Band; Ray Skjelbred; Tex Wyndham; Grand Dominion Jazz Band; Climax Jazz Band; Uptown Lowdown Jazz Band; Titanic Jazz Band; Mission Bay High School Dixie Band and San Diego's own Heliotrope Ragtime Orchestra. Community bands include Nice & Easy, Dixie Express, Crown Island Jazz Band, South Bay Jazz Ramblers, Finest City Jazz Band, San Diego Banjo Band, 2nd Ave. Dixieland Band, Bayside Dixie Stompers and the San Fernando Valley Banjo Band.

Special events include "Pianorama," Gospel Music on Sunday, a Ragtime Dance Concert on Saturday night and Dick Williams' JazzSea Jams (organized jam sessions featuring traditional jazz musicians who are attending the festival, but not playing in any Festival bands). The Carl Sonny Leyland Trio and Butch Thompson Trio will perform on Saturday. Tex Wyndham will present a set of Walter Donaldson compositions. Anita Thomas and Ray Skjelbred (The Oz-Chi Connection) will play in the Grand Foyer. The Festival is delighted to offer swing dance exhibitions by the Radioland Rugcutters (Friday), OCSwing (Saturday) and 2toGroove (Sunday). And this year, we are presenting a "FIRST" for a Dixieland festival: a ROCKABILLY (a/k/a roots music) set played by the "Memphis Sun Kings." This group includes John Gill (guitar/vocals), Jeff Barnhart (piano/vocals), Marty Eggers (bass), this writer on drums and San Diegan Johnny G. D'Artenay as guest guitarist/vocalist. We hope you will be there for this historic event, plus all the other great music at Festival #27.

Complete information--prices, hours, etc.--may be found on the AFCDJS website: www.dixielandjazzfestival.org.

Hope to see you there!

Best regards,
Hal

P.S. The Festival is Anita Thomas' last musical performance in the U.S. before she returns to Australia to live on Nov. 27...

[Salboa]

I go every year to this. Highly recommend to burn the turkey calories; oh yah and great music too! Anyone else going?

[GigoloJoe]

Here you can see who is performing - bands and dancers

http://www.dixielandjazzfestival.org./performing.html

[Alreet]

This is THE dance event of the year that no one goes to. Every year is fantastic. Can't speak more highly of the music. GREAT MUSIC!! GREAT FLOORS.

Hope to see you there.

[CarlSwing]

[Salboa]

Yah I always see Rob there, not much of anybody else.

[chance]

[hihat]

Thanks to all of you who participated in the San Diego Thanksgiving Dixieland Jazz Festival!

It was a great success. Having all those terrific swing dancers really had an energizing effect on the festival patrons!!!

I enjoyed seeing so many friends and as always it was a pleasure to play for you!

--Hal