More Than Just Whistling Dixie

BUENA PARK — Parasols were on parade and the Charleston was the dance of the day Saturday at the New Orleans Jazz Club of Southern California’s eighth SoCal Jazz Fest.

On the second day of the three-day event, held at the Buena Park Holiday Inn, some 800 fans turned up to hear “trad,” New Orleans and Dixieland music, from 14 bands.

Although some festival officials described the turnout as light, the enthusiasm of those who did attend proved that the pop music of 60, 70 and more years ago still holds sway.

That yesterday’s music appeals to young and old alike was most apparent on the bandstands, where performers ranged from the 95-year-old saxophonist Rosy McHargue to 9-year-old washboard player Andrew Barrett of the Monrovia Old Style Jazz Band.

At the height of the day’s events, from 8 to 9 p.m., one could hear such sentimental favorites as “Sweet Sue,” from vibraphonist-vocalist Danny Davis’ Roaring 20s band, in the grand ballroom or go next door to catch the authentic Cotton Club arrangements from clarinetist Mike Henerby’s Crazy Rhythm Hot Society Orchestra.

Henerby has scouted the oldest recordings of Duke Ellington, Cab Calloway and others and transcribed them for his ensemble. He established the authenticity of each song by airing the opening moments of the original, then having his band fade into the music. The effect could be uncanny, as when the group came up behind the 1928 Ellington Orchestra playing “The Mooch.”

Elsewhere, authenticity took a back seat to enthusiasm. The six-piece Golden Eagle Jazz Band, the most accomplished of the New Orleans-influenced jazz bands, combined for magical ensemble play on the stately “Creole Belle,” introduced by pianist-leader Dick Shooshan as “a turn-of-the-century cakewalk.”

Winners of the 1997 United Jazz Clubs of Southern California Youth Scholarship awards joined Chris Kelly’s Black and White Jazz Band onstage, giving the group’s midday set a contemporary twist. Guitarist Bob Haner, trombonist Will Miller and saxophonist Ram Picker applied distinctly nontraditional touches to “When the Saints Go Marching In” and other songs.

Trad scene veteran McHargue closed the evening playing his vintage C melody saxophone with feeling and singing “Has Anybody Seen My Gal?” while a flapper dressed in blue fringe jumped onstage to shimmy. Object lesson? This music stays attractive because it’s so much fun.

The SoCal Jazz Fest, which benefits the New Orleans Jazz Club of Southern California’s Jazz Education and Youth Scholarship Program, was to conclude Sunday with performances by the Crazy Rhythm Hot Society Orchestra, Rosy McHargue, the Crown City Jazz Band and others.