Hot Jazz Jubilee

We attended the Third Annual Hot Jazz Jubilee this 2015 Labor Day weekend at the Double Tree by Hilton in Sacramento, Ca.
This is how a music festival should be done: half a dozen venues in a single behemoth hotel, with minimal walking between venues, in contrast to the Sacramento music festival Memorial Day weekend spread out over a mile of downtown.
We made reservations for all four days of the Labor Day weekend, and arrived at 1215pm, checked in, got our room, and followed the Ophir Prison Band from the opening ceremonies at the lobby to a formal ballroom, with a 80+ folding chairs lined up.
You know it’s a zany group, when the band leader wears an oversize windup key mounted atop a helmet, saying wind me up to make me go! Band wears prison blue shirts and pants, with the words ‘Ophir Prison’ spelled boldly in back. Don’t want to give anyone wearing such a uniform a ride in your car!
Band plays lots of marching music, mixed in with classics like of the Sound of Music, throwing rubber ducks at the audience, while playing Swan River. Band leader could be a stand up comedian, with all the off color jokes! Big band swing music from the 1940s –before my time, and before your grandfather’s time!
Speaking of audience, the wife and I are among the youngest, and we are in our early 60s!
Geritol generation, with 99% white –both in race and hair color! I’m the only nonwhite in the audience –well I wore thin white crisscross strap sandals. Wife says they look like ladies sandals, but nobody bats an eye!
We get a quick lunch at Twigs café.
Next band we catch up with is Shelly Burns band. Shelly is wearing red sandals in a mini skirt and looks great for her age –wish my wife could wear that kind of skirt on our days out on the town! She’s a great singer, very animated, and the band does a mean impression of ‘Duke, Duke, Duke of Earl!’ Full house, with late arrivals like us forced to stand up, holding up the wall. Banjo players galore.
Third act is Big Mamma Sue playing the washboard with a quartet including a piano player, a sax player and a banjo player. I’m a big fan of banjo music, and soak in the vibes in the RJ Bar, along with a 100 others, with 4 overhead TVs broadcasting the Giants’ game. Great ambiance with full length windows stretching over onto the roof.
Fourth act is Gator Nation, a Cajun-​Zydeco music group, with music in French, just like in the old days. Group features an accordion player. Fellow Chinese Rick Quan lead guitarist, with foot stomping music rocking the stage! Now this is why we came to Sacramento, to enjoy music like this! They finish up with Jambalaya, the music, not the dish!
We drop by Twigs café for dinner, and check out the Giants losing their 7^th straight.
Final act for the night is Stardust cowboys, a country western group. They are here because they play Western swing traditional tunes. Mandolin, accordion and fiddle players, in cowboy hats and cowboy boots, except for Vicki Campbell, female vocalist barefoot, with her toenails painted green. Definitely a group to watch out for at the other Jazz festivals! Western favorites like Deep in the Heart of Texas, finishing up with Happy Trails to You. Group does a rendition of rap music of the Beverly Hillbillies theme song black oil, can you believe it?!
Saturday we get to Tom Rigney’s show a half hour early, but all 500 seats taken or worse yet, saved when we get there. Tom in his cape and red cowboy boots rips up a storm on stage, including House of the Rising Sun and Orange Blossom Special.
Lines for the women’s bathroom, lines for the elevator from bottom floor to 1^st floor, and lines for the truck lunch wagons serving Mexican and hamburgers!
I’m dressed in shorts and sandals for outside temperatures in the 90s, but it is as cold as a meat locker inside, with the AC on full blast. Checking my toes for frostbite!
Sunday at 630pm, Tom Rigney’s show is half empty –everyone getting out of Dodge!
A guy sits two seats away, tries to get up and is stuck. Bubble gum on his seat, and now its on his pants! He laughs and asks me if I put the gum on his chair. I say no, as I would never do that to a complete stranger. Now if I knew him a little bit better, than maybe! His girlfriend sat in the same chair and no stickum on her behind! Well she’s not that familiar with him, as she doesn’t pinch the gum off his behind!
Water dripping onto the dance floor. The bar upstairs has been running the dishwasher nonstop the entire day, due to huge demand, and sprung a leak!
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