Jazz Jubilee by the Sea, held October 24 to 27 on California’s Central Coast, presented a spectrum of early jazz and swing but spotlighted trad, and the sizable audience responded enthusiastically. Such was my encouraging take-away from this, the 43rd edition. Almost unbelievably trad jazz seems to be prospering despite predictions of imminent demise.
Originally confined to Pismo Beach where two of its five venues were cavernous tents with folding chairs, the Jubilee in 2017 abandoned the tents in favor of two elegant auditoriums in neighboring Arroyo Grande thereby substantially upgrading audience comfort and acoustical ambiance. Justifiably the seaside Addie Street tent remains, for there is something beguiling about gazing out over the sea while standing at the wall behind the tent eating lunch and listening. The venerable Veterans’ Memorial Hall in Pismo continues as the headquarters venue. The downside is the four mile separation of the two geographically extreme venues, but the festival provides a continuous shuttle bus circuit that lessens the inconvenience.
In all, nineteen bands, including two swing bands, populated the stages. Festival Chairman Rhonda Cardinal announced that despite some resistance from a festival board concerned about cost, she had engaged a band that really spoke to her; thus, Tuba Skinny made its second California appearance. A denizen of New Or
