Down the street, in an old sideboard wagon, would come the jazz band from one ballroom. And up the street, in another sideboard wagon, would come the band from another ballroom, which had a announced a dance for the same night at the same price. And those musicians played for all their worth, because the band that pleased the crowd more would be the one the whole crowd would go to hear, and dance to, at its ballroom later that night.

At the back of the wagon were the trombone players, because the only way they could handle their slides was over the end of the wagon. And that's how they got the name "tailgate" trombonists. They all played Dixieland "vamp" style, because there weren't any room in the wagon for fancy stuff.