Dixieland Jazz On The Upswing Good Organization, Participation And Turnout Give Three-Day Spokane Festival High Hopes For Expansion

Critic-at-Large

Spokane Dixieland Jazz Festival Friday-Sunday, June 2-4, at the Masonic Temple

The First Annual Spokane Dixieland Festival has sounded its final hot, sweet and glorious note for this year, so now it’s time to prepare for next year. Those involved, the Spokane Jazz Society, Davenport Arts & Entertainment District and Friends of the Davenport, have to sweep up the confetti and see what worked and what could be improved.

For such a large and ambitious event, things ran smoothly. Festival Director Dean Martin had done his homework in the organization department. The volunteers and staff were helpful and well-informed, and they, along with signs, helped to avoid any bottlenecks.

Performances ran like clockwork, at least when I attended on Friday. With only 15 minutes for the previous band to clear the stage and the next to be set up and ready to play, keeping on schedule is not necessarily a given. The audience was always champing at the bit for more, so they were more than willing to be vocal in their anticipation of the music starting at the top of the hour.

There was a good turnout on Friday, with fans there to follow their favorite bands, check out as many different groups as possible, stay in one spot and wait for the music to change or dance when the spirit moved them. The various venues at the Masonic Temple reached about a third of what could be handled comfortably. It is a good environment for traditional jazz, providing an atmosphere which recalls festivities and dances of a bygone era.

As the Festival expands, however, additional space will be required. An outdoor venue on a beautiful spring weekend sounds enticing - catching some rays and hot jazz at the same time - but is fraught with logistical problems and expenses such as cordoning off the non-paying public, liquor licenses, connecting indoor and outdoor sites and the possibility of rain showers.

The overall quality of the bands was great. From the incredible piano showmanship of Big Tiny Little to the South Frisco Jazz Band’s hot sounds to the authentic and focused Uptown Lowdown, there was a good mix in the Dixieland genre.

There was a strong showing from some local bands as well, including the Tri-City Jazz Band and Aberdeen’s Hume Street Jazz Band. Spokane’s Dixieland Dandies and Planet Lounge Orchestra also participated in the Festival on Saturday.

The Phoenix Jazzers from Vancouver, British Columbia, have a style which gives a new a deeper meaning to the word “finesse.” They are blessed with the drum and washboard god Stephen Joseph, who has to be the most tasteful and understated traditional jazz percussionist in the universe.

Seattle’s Uptown Lowdown is the fountainhead for this brand of jazz. There is no weak link in their membership, they give every note purpose and direction, and with no drums, their ensemble is impeccably tight.

With bands like these playing music that’s impossible to sit still for and competent organization behind the scenes, there’s no reason to believe the Spokane Dixieland Jazz Festival won’t grow in the years to come.