2007 Redding Jazz Festival


I’ve lived in Redding for 32 or more years and this is the first time I have attend the annual Jazz Festival. Actually, there were a few years that is was suspended, but that is neither here or there.

It began at 3:00 on Friday afternoon, with local Redding jazz groups that I know well. I stayed for about four hours. I spent
about four more hours on Saturdayand again on Sunday. The music those days was more of a variety: dixieland, cajun, zydeco, rag time, blues, boogie woogie, big band, swing, and one group even threw in a waltz and lullaby.

What fun it was with heads a-bobbin’ and feet a-tappin’ ! The crowd was a “hoot”,
most in their 70’s and 80’s, many dressed in period clothes (women with beaded and flapper dresses wearing mardi gras beads and carrying parasols, men with spectator shoes, hats, some loaded with special jazz festival pins). An amazing sight, it was most surrealistic to see them out on the dance floor, especially when the waltz was all of a sudden played! A dance club from Eureka was there and really added to the viewing enjoyment. If that wasn’t enough to take in, there was a flamboyant lady calling herself “The Delta Queen” who danced up and down the aisles throwing out New Orleans beads. Then she’d change into another outlandish costume and do it again!

And do it again, I will next year (in
costume? who knows?)

thought of the week:
without music life would B flat