DUKES OF DIXIELAND

Shame on you Brett and OffBeat… next time do your homework as this band has been sued for lying about their false claims to knowing Frank Assunto and being connected to the Assunto Family and the real Dukes of Dixieland. Proof of that can be found by the fact they are celebrating a 40 year anniversary and not 65 years.

—Grayce Assunto, Metairie, Louisiana

The legal issues between “The Real Dukes” and the “DUKES” are not something in which OffBeat can get involved. We are about the music. We have noted that there are unresolved legal issues. We take pride in the fact that the band’s name lives on in New Orleans musical history, and that the Assuntos created something that will always be appreciated by jazz lovers. The “no confusion” button at http://www.thedukesofdixieland.com/ will shed more light on understanding these issues.—Ed.

DICKIE TAYLOR

As a former member of the Dukes of Dixieland for six years I find it a bit trivial that the article mentions my name and very disappointing Mr. Shoup left out one important member, that being drummer Richard “Dickie” Taylor. Taylor not only led the band for 20 years but was responsible for rejuvenating the group after complaints from fans of the Original Dukes that the group did not resemble musically what made the group popular in the first place. Because of the dixie-bop, they were losing tour dates. We heard this from the tour manager. Dickie Taylor was the main reason Tom McDermott and I joined the Dukes in the late ’80s. He had heard the original Dukes in the ’50s in Chicago and understood the marriage of musicality and showmanship. It worked. Rave reviews came in from the tours and the four CDs we recorded included such jazz legends as Danny Barker, Connie Jones and clarinetist Jack Maheu, one of the original members of the Dukes in the ’50s. I’ll always look back fondly on those days on Bourbon Street. The doors remained half-open at Mahogany Hall and yet people flooded in because Dickie Taylor and the Dukes gave them something good. Thanks and RIP, Dickie.

—Tim Laughlin, New Orleans, LA

ALWAYS ABOUT CHOICES

The following letters are in response to the release of the Jazz Fest “cubes” the detailed lineup of all performers at the 2014 Jazz Fest.

Brilliant. They put Chaka Khan in the same time slot as Pharaoh Sanders. Jazz Fest is always about choices, but I (and many others) wanted to hear both. And for goodness sakes, stop trying to “expand the horizons” of folks who just mass in front of the Acura Stage and Congo Square waiting for Springsteen or Cee-Lo. They truly do not give a fuck about Afoxé Omô Nilê Ogunjá of Pernambuco-Brazil and they will yell their inane conversations over and ignore the brilliant performance of Afoxé Omô Nilê Ogunjá of Pernambuco-Brazil as they fiddle with their cells, spill beer on you and mumble “sorry” and trample and jostle towards the front of the crowd to be in better position for the Eagles or whoever. Just schedule three or four major acts per day at the Acura Stage thereby making it the “gulag” for drunken frat-boys and girls, boomer tourists, and their bratty offspring. Then the rest of us, you know, the folks who aren’t manners-impaired, can enjoy the rich musical traditions that make Jazz Fest unique.

—Marcello Amari, Woodstock, New York

UNKNOWN GEMS

I have enjoyed the Jazz Fess for 44 years. It is the best musical event in the world. I was there the first year we moved to the Fair Grounds when we used one third of the infield. Nothing stays the same. If you don’t like the big acts and some of their crowd there are eight other stages to enjoy. Where else can you enjoy all this music for $50? Nowhere. Plus the best food of any festival I have ever been to. I love the big stars, and have produced several of HBO, including Santana and Ruben Blades yet the unknown gems at the Fess make it totally the best even in the musical world. If you don’t like it or understand the work and dedication it takes to pull this off for 45 years, stay home.

—David McBurnett, Miami, Florida