Sunday, August 12, 2018

Gatsby Clothes and Hotsy-Totsy Boys

Today's (8-12-18) featured band at the monthly South Bay New Orleans Jazz Club is (drum roll) Nanette and Her Hotsy-Totsy Boys, who will be storming the stage around 2:30 p.m.

The club meets at the Knights of Columbus Hall, at 214 Avenue I in Riviera Village (Redondo south) from noon-ish to 5 p.m.  Park in the Wells Fargo bank lot - free.

Many of the club members are musicians who bring their instruments and engage in a series of pick-up encounters until it's time for the Featured Attraction.  After the dust settles from whoever it was, the pick-up musicians go back to work right after the 4:30 p.m. raffle winners are announced.  Tickets are a strip of five for $1 or 6 strips of tickets for $5 to win the various items members donate.  There is always a bottle of wine, usually jazz CDs and, of late, a bouquet of fresh flowers plus various trinkets which have included, stuffed toys, soft books for the grandkids, a stuffed turkey for the Thanksgiving décor.  It's 'way too big for the table.  I know, I won one and tried mightily the next year to get his cousin.

Nanette and Her Hotsy-Totsy Boys have appeared here about once a year and are anticipated with glee. Nanette is a woman of undetermined age (more than 20, less than 80 or 90) who wears flapper outfits, more beading and sequins that you'd think she can support, what has to be a wig, semi-hidden under extravagant cloche hats.  She mingles freely with the audience, cabaret style, kissing a bald man's head to the delighted screams of the rest of us.

She also issues parasols to female members to twirl as they are herded around the dance floor following her in a no-hands Conga line.  All very colorful and gay.

If you are wondering what "hotsy-totsy" could mean as I was, I looked up to find that it is a term of approval, a sign of perfection "Everything at the ball was hotsy-totsy;" well-being "Well, we had a little tiff - you know how it is with her - but everything is hotsy-totsy now."  "Oh, he ran off with this hotsy-totsy show girl."  

The "boys" attire is '20s chic to match Nanette's Gatsby era outfits.  All in all, it's a very pleasant ad amusing way to spend a Sunday afternoon.  Y'awl come!

P.S. full bar; member-baked goods and they are a dab hand at baking.

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