43rd Annual Jazz Jubilee By the Sea: We Need to See!

Our 43rd Jubilee in Pismo Beach and Arroyo Grande offers our most ambitious line-up ever. Over 100 acts in five local venues over four days, Thurs-Sun, October 24-27. This year we are bringing three acts directly from New Orleans. Tuba Skinny, one of the hottest acts going, makes a rare West Coast appearance. They are conservatory-trained Bourbon Street jazz musicians. Shake Em Up Jazz Band wowed the crowd last year. An all-girl act, they are NOLA’s version of Josie & the Pussycats. Larry Scala plays New Orleans jazz guitar in various acts. He makes you feel like you’re in a NOLA jazz nightclub. 

We’re also bringing an entire all-star band of expats from Australia: The Australian Jazz Connection will be making their US debut at the Jubilee. They are dedicating a set to Australian tunes played before they had jazz music charts from the USA. Of course, waltzing Matilda will be there as well. Now that should be interesting. Lots of fun.

From New York City we are bringing back Professor Cunningham and his Old School. This award-winning jazz band are currently touring Turkey, Poland, Vietnam, & Germany, then heading back to Greece and France at the end of the year. But in between they made sure to play our little ol’ Jubilee, world famous by now.

In 1976, ex-WWII ace & stride pianist, K. O. Eckland helped found the Basin Street Regulars Jazz Club with Bob Connolly and 38 charter members at Trader Nick’s in Pismo (now Flagship Restaurant). Along the way we have held 11-4pm Jazz Sessions every month, over the last 30 years or so at the Pismo Veteran’s Hall. This totals to over 5000 jazz shows in tiny Pismo Beach. You will hear music at the Vets Hall pretty much every last Sunday of the month. 

The first Jubilee By the Sea was held in 1977 and we have had one every year since, due the countless volunteers making it happen. Our Jubilee locations have included The Jetty (who remembers it?), Factory Outlets Mall parking lot, the Cliffs Resort, Spyglass Inn, Marie Calender’s, St. Anthony’s Celebration Site, and countless other Pismo locations (& seemingly forgotten by now, such as The Rose Garden & Waldorf Club). This year’s festival locations: (1) Addie St. Tent; (2) Arroyo Grande Women’s Club; (3) Arroyo Grande Regional Center; (4) Edgewater Hotel; & (5) Pismo Veteran’s Hall. 

This year we put together the best traditional jazz acts from around the world. What is traditional jazz? It can mean many styles of jazz, most of it danceable: (1) New Orleans Dixieland; (2) Swing; (3) Zydeco; (4) Blues; (5) Big Band; (6) Jazz Ballads; (7) Jazz Mariachi; and (this year) (8) Australian Jazz. There will be over 1500 people in Pismo & Arroyo Grande on the last weekend in October. Show up if you can! Prices are flexible and affordable, especially if you want to see multiple acts. There are also some chances to catch some free concerts in the area. Tuba Skinny is playing at the SLO Farmers Market on Thursday, October 24th (weather permitting or alternate location). Check it out, you can hear what all the Tuba Skinny hubbub is about. 

This year we have chosen to honor all of our nonagenarians as the “Greatest Generation.” If you know someone who needs to be honored, please let us know and we will try to give them the royal carpet treatment. All Americans agree that this era of people helped build America and sacrificed much for future generations. Check out pismojazz.com for more information, including the festival lineup, special set descriptions, and even a page of Jubilee word games. We are the best kept secret on the Central Coast. Who would have thought the best traditional jazz festival in the world would be on the Central Coast? As we like to say, “Pismo Beach: More jazz per capita, this side of the Mississippi.”

Pricing Information: Jazz Jubilee by the Sea

DATES: October 25th – 27th 

www.PismoJazz.com

PismoJazz2015@gmail.com

Three-Day Badges Pre Festival - $120, $130 at the door.

Friday 10 am – 9:40 pm $60

Saturday 10 am – 11 pm $80

Sunday 9 am – 4:40 pm $30

Half price badges after 5:00 pm Friday or Saturday

Children under 12 free

Three Days, Under 30 years old,  $30. At Will-Call 805-937-8402

Thursday evening kickoff Concert 6 pm – 9 pm $25, Pismo Veteran’s Hall

SALES QUESTIONS?  805-539-5695  Rhonda 805-937-8402

Will-Call – Pismo Veteran’s Hall, 780 Bello Street Pismo. Will Call starts Thursday at 4 pm.

Other Venues:

Addie Street Tent at the Addie Street parking lot next to the Sea Venture, Pismo

Sky Room at the Edgewater Inn, 280 Wadsworth Ave, Pismo

South County Regional Center, 800 W Branch St, Arroyo Grande

Woman’s Club of Arroyo Grande, 211 Vernon Street, Arroyo Grande

2019 Jubilee Special Set Themes

The Special Sets at The Jubilee By the Sea are a differentiating factor at our festival. This year we feature bands from New Orleans, NYC, New Jersey, Australia, as well as top California groups and our favorite local acts: All playing traditional jazz in their own unique way. We take great care in organizing new themes each year, encouraging our musicians to play & develop dedicated sets. This year we have more than ever, over 40 special sets in all...a new record. Our past Jubilee President George Smith has a knack of sticking random musicians together to produce a surprisingly impactful act (George’s All-Stars was said to be top act last year): Granted, we may have gone overboard this year, but we say “In George We Trust.” The below guide can help you sort out all of these hour-long special events. There should be something for everyone here, choose your flavor (# of sets in theme). 

• New Orleans Music Theme (6): This year we shipped in three bands directly from New Orleans: (The Legendary) Tuba Skinny, Larry Scala & Friends (a Jubilee favorite for those in the know), & the ground-breaking Shake Em Up Jazz Band. Authentic sets by those in the know...one might say that they “know orleans.” Other sets dedicated to New Orleans music by Creole Syncopators & Friends, Blue Street, & a special Mardi Gras set by Sue Palmer’s Motel Swing Band. Friday night in Pismo will feel like Nola.
• Louisiana Music Theme (4): Of course, traditional jazz is not only in Nola, but in the neighboring outskirts as well...with a distinctly zydeco feel. The sound will be more upbeat and danceable, you will hear more accordion. Four special sets display Louisiana Music: Gator Nation, Sue Palmer’s Motel Swing Band, Shake Em Up Jazz Band, & Tom Rigney & Flambeau. Rigney, the son of former MLB Manager Bill Rigney, also has a solo tribute set below, where he relates his improbable ascension into the world of jazz. 

• Tribute Sets (9): This year we have more tributes than ever, most of them brand new. Our overall theme seems to be clarinetists & crooners, but there should be a specialty act for everyone: Benny Goodman (Midiri Brothers), Louis Armstrong (Pat Yankee & Jeff Barhart), Fats Waller (Jeff Barnhart), Artie Shaw (Midiri Brothers), Pete Fountain (Bob Draga), Bobby Darin (Professor Cunningham),Count Basie (Prof. Cunningham & His Old School), Nothing But the Blues Special (Cornet Chop Suey) & How Did I Get Here? (Tom Rigney).

• Dance Events (5): This year’s Jubilee theme is “Salute to the Nineties,” where we proudly honor all nonagenarians as The Greatest Generation. Among those proudly displaying their “90s” buttons will be our own (spry) Hugh Robinson, Night Blooming Jazzmen leader Chet Jaeger, & Ex-Turk Murphy Band lead vocalist, Pat Yankee. This signature event recreates the Big Band Era dance craze circa WWII. The longstanding local jazz traditions of Cuesta College (Jazz Band A & the closely-related Starlight Dream Band) & Cal Poly SLO (Cal Poly Jazz Band) will make you feel that these are professional bands, which they are for the Jubilee by seemingly attracting their best members. Great Big Band music. Bring your dancing shoes! Swing Dance Lessons (2 times) are provided free with your festival badge: A nice bonus for those who want to learn or practice their steps. These events filled up quickly last year, so show up early!

• Women in Jazz Theme (4): This year’s jubilee has 22% women in our acts, including two full bands. As before, we dedicated a block of acts to women at the AG Women’s Club (Named Pat’s Place, after trad jazz diva Pat Yankee). If you have a daughter interested in jazz music, this would be a good place to go, a small atmosphere to talk face-to-face to those who have been there: Women Composers (Shake Em Up Jazz Band), Women in the Blues (Creole Syncopators), Swing It, Sistas (Sue Palmer and Her Motel Swing Band), & Tribute To Louis Armstrong (Pat Yankee & Her All-Stars).

• Gospel Sets (5): Hallelujah Jubilee! Always popular, these spirituals are guaranteed lift you up, like in the South. Creole Syncopators’ Valerie Johnson does a great singing sermon: Not a dry eye in the crowd. The Night Blooming Jazzmen’s Hymn-Along is world famous. Expect to find your own brand of musical religion from Ivory & Gold (piano & flute); Blue Street (brass); & The Midiri Brothers (clarinet & vibes). 

• Nightclub Acts (5): Recreate the jazz nightclub on the Central Coast. Last year’s party at The Edgewater was the surprise hit of the festival: Standing room only. Stellar music in a friendly setting, overlooking the ocean: Blue Street, Larry Scala, Dawn Lambeth, & Friends, Ivory and Gold, Creole Syncopators & Carl Sonny Leyland, & Pat Yankee & Friends. This is The cool spot to be.
• Instrument-Themed Sets (2): Some of us like certain instruments, such as longtime Jubilee Site Captain, Gail Lightfoot, a big clarinet fan. Here are two sets for such instrumental fans, because we feel they are instrumental to our festival (& we’ll make sure to cover for Gail on this first one): (1) Three Clarinets (Joe Midiri, Draga, Cunningham); (2) Three Guitars (Scala, Pat Mercury, John Merrill). If acoustic guitars are your thing, Larry will show you the way, along with his talented buddies. Expect lots of harmony here...both in the music & in the room. 

• Jazz Seminars (3): We chose to continue our educational theme that began last year, back due to popular demand: Local Teaching Legend Les Rose continues his popular master class jazz improvisation seminars (2 times, free to the public...kids especially welcome!): Time is of the Essence. Jazz Scholar Dean Krikorian gives a spirited presentation on his recent discovery of public domain jazz sheet music & how you can get it for free. 
• Jazz Jams (4): Hosted by Jammer extraordinaire, Dick Williams (a miracle he’s here), this is a fun time to hone your skills. Kids are especially welcome. You’ll be surprised at the quality of these Jubilee Jams.

• International Sets (5): This year we also proudly introduce The Australian Jazz Connection to the US, they will knock your socks off, this Aussie “Dream Team.” We introduce them to America on Friday at 12:40pm in the Addie Street tent. You will want to be there for this historic event. They are also uniquely paired with NYC’s Best Alto Sax (& Fellow Aussie) Professor Adrian Cunningham. Reunited, like mama kangaroo and joey, they curiously explore Jazzy Aussie Tunes (something like Washboard Matilda?). This will surely be new & refreshing. AJC Trombonist/Leader Paul Ingle’s predicted headline: Aussies Make Big Jazz Splash in Pismo Beach. Mariachi Autlience (2 sets) is always a jubilee favorite. Mariachi is kinda jazzy...if you listen closely. These kids (from Lompoc and Santa Maria, CA) are really talented. 
• Boogie Woogie (2): There is even a slice of boogie woogie, if you so desire. Sue Palmer and Her Motel Swing Band have a set dedicated to boogie woogie. Another way to boogie woogie is to hear any of local celebrity Carl Sonny Leyland’s six sets (with the Creole Syncopators), because he’s in the Boogie Woogie Hall of Fame (no lie!). 
• All-Star Teams (2): Finally, Jubilee-goers should be aware of the two all-star acts formed for this year’s Jubilee: George’s All-Stars, featuring Scala, Draga, Coots, Haruka Kikuchi, Schulz, Cunningham, & local stride piano phenom, Jason Wanner. Another sneakily good all-star event will be Pat Yankee’s Pajama Party (pjs optional) featuring Coots, Schulz, & Draga. Expect a plethora of audience-groaning jokes from this motley crew...but in the end their music will carry the night.

Who are Tuba Skinny? (& y u need 2 hear them)

Rarely in America does a musical act cause you to rethink music, to appreciate music in a new way. As a kid, I recall thinking this about the Beatles: Everything felt so new. I had a similar feeling listening to Tuba Skinny. Perhaps “America’s Best Busking (street musicians) Band,” Tuba Skinny evokes a newness in each tune they play; you don’t know what to expect. But it all sounds pleasant, a “happy-to-be-alive” feeling, as denoted by everyone (including toddlers) tapping their feet. One cannot help but dance. 

But who are Tuba Skinny & why are they so important? Tuba Skinny was founded in 2009 in New Orleans in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. They were all products of the Musician’s Village founded as part of the rebuilding effort of Nola. Imagine eight talented musicians, wunderkids if you will, forming a band with music all around them. Such a model environment should foster great music and it did, although not in the traditional manner, but a traditional (old school) jazz manner, a seemingly odd (and risky) musical direction to take. 

Tuba Skinny went back to the roots of jazz, busking as musicians in the street. They learned in the streets and, most importantly, took us away from amplified sound. Come to think of it, why do we need amplified sound? Why does the music I hear today have to be electric? The first time you hear Tuba Skinny you will realize that electronic music hides several nuances that make music nice, such as countermelody, silence, and natural transitions. I can’t really put it into words, but it definitely feels different: It made me realize that such nuances were about to go extinct, until Tuba Skinny came along. 

Tuba Skinny consists of eight talented, multi-instrument, players of banjo, trombone, sax, clarinet, washboard, percussion, tuba, & acoustic guitar: A rather odd concoction, unless you’re in New Orleans (or Pismo Beach). No one instrument dominates the band, they all seem to share an equal footing. Because of this democracy, it forces you to detect these differences. Tuba Skinny’s music is interactive, in that it forces you to listen more closely. This is not background music, you become part of the music (via dancing). At the end of their tunes you seem happier than before. 

Another angle on Tuba Skinny is that if you take away all of the electronic effects on a band, then their true musicality shines through. These musicians are all extremely talented, the fact that they humble themselves for the good of the team denotes their dedication to music, for the good of music. You won’t find the brash soloist proclaiming “look at me, I’m a star,” perhaps the curse of modern jazz (apres Satchmo). No, this band is more about, “look how WE can solo together.” This, to me, is refreshing: Whatever makes the music sound best. I go to hear a band, not one person in that band...it is a collective sound I am paying to see. Tuba Skinny is all about sharing.

Why have you not heard of Tuba Skinny? First, this may have to do with their busking nature. Every performance is live, as buskers aren’t into music studios (& their canned effects). The busker lives off of what they play live. There is no room for bad days, poor performances, and non-crowd pleasing tunes. Else, you may not get paid. Second, the manner in which their music diffused was entirely grassroots. People started recording them and posted these live busking videos to YouTube. They have never done a glitzy music video and they have several albums, but their following was almost completely generated as a viral YouTube busking sensation. Hence, while an old-school band, their publicity is 21st Century. Then again, maybe some of you HBO subscribers may recognize Tuba Skinny from 2012’s  “The Treme.” Here’s a good 2-minute clip from that show that depicts the essence of Tuba Skinny. Check it out if you can, it will give you a sense of what I am talking about here: https://youtu.be/vzcHeb1lJcY

What else is different about Tuba Skinny? They compose their own tunes, recreate old ones in a new way, and certainly don’t need sheet music. I always hate it when I go to see a band play behind music stands, that’s not professional, why am I paying for this? Tuba Skinny can really go in any direction and many of them will play multiple instruments during a tune. Every tune sounds different each time they play it, as they rely on collective improvisation, another dying musical art form. They trade fours a lot between instruments and play off each other. What great listeners they must be. And perhaps this is what Tuba Skinny really teaches us: How to listen. 

Where can we hear Tuba Skinny on the Central Coast? Actually this is the easy part. The short answer is there will be seven sets from October 24th-27th as part of Pismo and Arroyo Grande’s 43rd Jazz Jubilee By the Sea. We are having a special preview performance at the SLO Farmers Market on Thursday, October 24th. This is a free busking show hosted by SLO Farmers Market Faves, the Crustacea Jazz Band. Thanks to the SLO Community Foundation for making this possible.  So just show up to the SLO Farmer’s Market on Thursday, October 24, at around 6 pm, and listen for the buskers. The other, more focused, way to hear Tuba Skinny is at various Pismo Beach & Arroyo Grande venues on Friday through Sunday, October 25-27th, where you have your choice of six shows at five venues, to suit your own schedule. Prices are reasonable and flexible (e.g., day passes) and you can really get a good live listen at one of our five 100-400 capacity venues (go to pismojazz.com for more info). If the Thursday Farmer’s Market show in SLO is rained out, we will make arrangements on Sunday, October 27th, to place Tuba Skinny in Pismo Beach. This is another free concert, thanks to generous donations from the cities of Pismo Beach, Arroyo Grande, & Community Foundations, as well as local Patrons of Pismo’s Basin Street Regulars non-profit jazz club. 

Please try to catch Tuba Skinny at one of their shows. Especially take the kids to see Tuba Skinny, as they may have never heard this type of music before. We have a special price for young people at our festival, only $30 for young people 30 years old or less. (Children under 12 free). These badges will only be available at the door. This is only Tuba Skinny’s 2nd West Coast appearance. They previously appeared at 2016’s California World Fest in Grass Valley, CA...about 60 miles east of Sac (one can consider it Cal-Neva & hence, not coastal). We don’t anticipate them coming back soon, as they operate out of New Orleans. But this year the Jubilee By the Sea has a treat, sure to tap your feet. Tuba Skinny: We can’t wait!

How Big is Tuba Skinny (on the Internet)?

I heard that Tuba Skinny had a big following over the Internet. I figured I’d see how big this following actually is by examining hit rates on YouTube. So I searched for Tuba Skinny on YouTube &  found their first 15 tunes that had over 100,000 views. There were countless more past that. Here are the sample results I came up with:

Tuba Skinny Video (date posted): #YouTube Hits

@ Louisiana Music Factory (2019): 239,000

Gimme Some (4 months ago): 143,000

TFull Set @ Jazz Au Sources (2018): 207,000

Plays Going Back Home (2017): 2,500,000

The Tuba Skinny Jazz Band (2017): 1,200,000

Plays Some of These Days (2012): 712,000

Postage Stomp (6 months ago): 450,000

@ Duke Heitger (2017): 260,000

Plays Yes Sir That's My Baby (2012): 1,400,000

Jubilee Stomp II (2018): 1,700,000

In Concert - Live Music (2013): 541,000

I Get the Blues (2013): 2,400,000

What's the Matter w/ the Mill (2013): 911,000

Jubilee Stomp I (2018): 1,100,000

Jackson Stomp (2013): 1,700,000

15 Tuba Skinny YouTube Videos: 15,463,000

The result is over 15 Million hits for their top 15 videos. That’s over a million hits, on average, for each video. That’s stratospheric in the world of traditional jazz, in a hit rate league of their own. These kids are the trad jazz poster children. Moreover, these aren’t all just single tunes, but some hour long sets. Some are in France, most on the street in New Orleans. They are not necessarily the most professional videos. Some are over the past few months and it is amazing to see them this popular so fast. In hit-rate comparison, the most famous trad jazz bands have one or two tunes with over 100 Thousand Views. Tuba Skinny has no rivals, they have 15 tunes/sets with over 1 Million Views: That’s a lot of gold YouTube videos. They are the Beatles of the trad jazz world.

Shake Em Up Jazz Band: Nola Gals Rock Central Coast

The Shake Em Up Jazz Band is another New Orleans band featured at this year’s Jubilee. Last year we introduced them to the Jubilee...and the crowd wants more! Back by popular demand, this talented group of musicians will surely “shake you up” with jazz standards & their own compositions. 

This uniquely multi-talented band features clarinet/sax/vocalist, Chloe Feoranzo: It seems that Chloe can do it all (& well, a regular clarinet dynamo). She is featured in other Jubilee special sets as well. Central Coast’s own Molly Reeves jams on guitar/vocals. Molly was a multiple trad jazz scholarship recipient of our jazz club. You may remember her old group, Red Skunk. Now she’s a professional New Orleans musician. We’re like proud trad jazz parents. Haruka Kikuchi really represents on trombone. Always a crowd favorite, she is again featured with other all-stars at this year’s festival. Marla Dixon blares on trumpet, denoting her British Drum Corps background. Julie Schexnayder womans the bass & sings. Defne “Izzy” Incirlioglu is on various percussion, rounding out this talented all-female, you go-girl, New Orleans traditional jazz band. 

The Shake Em Up Jazz Band shakes up traditional jazz gender boundaries, as well as your hips. Close your eyes, how can you tell they’re female? Woman musicians at this year’s Jubilee by the Sea comprise 22% of our band personnel, far exceeding festival norms. This is something we are proud of, as women were well-represented in early jazz, such as Bessie Smith, Ma Rainey, Sophie Tucker, & Lillian Hardin. There will be several special sets at this year’s jubilee helping illustrate this story: (1) Women Composers, by the aforementioned Shake Em Up Jazz Band; (2) Women in the Blues by The Creole Syncopators’ Valerie Johnson, previously of Big Brother & the Holding Company: Valerie can sing dem blues!; (3) Sue Palmer & Her (Mostly-Female) Motel Swing Band, Swingin’ w/ the Ladies; & (4) Pat Yankee & Her All-Stars, with her Tribute to Louis Armstrong: This should be a big hit. 

Professor Cunningham & His Old School Play Jubilee After World Tour

It may sound like a Bugs Bunny episode, but the Professor and His Old School plan to end up in Pismo Beach...let’s just hope they take a left at Albuquerque. The Professor and his crew are currently playing in Istanbul, Turkey. Maybe the Professor will be like fellow sax player Paul Desmond & write an odd-meter Turkish-inspired jazz tune (& have it be the greatest selling jazz single of all time, like “Take Five,” by the Dave Brubeck Quintet). But then it’s off to Poland, Vietnam, & back to Germany. Finally back in the States, the Professor & His Old School will be in fine spirits by the time they traverse the world to play at our Jubilee. No doubt they will appreciate the serenity of the Central Coast & put on some awesome shows. Because then it’s off to SF, back home to NYC, then Greece & Paris for the New Year. The Professor & His (Award-Winning) Old School are busy globetrotting around the world. It is nice that they show up to our friendly little Jubilee. If you’re interested in touring with a band, these guys would know: Very friendly people, you wouldn’t think they were from New York City.