[Dixielandjazz] What a Day!

[Elazar Brandt]

Shalom Jazz Fans,

I don't know what happened, but I'm not complaining. My Doctor Jazz band has
been booking 1 to 2 gigs a week at about $100 per player per gig since I
returned from working in India. Maybe I picked up some good karma?

We got hired to perform with an Israeli pop band that is pretty well known,
called Tractor's Revenge. Yesterday morning was the rehearsal, in Tel Aviv. They
were quite fun to work with. We thought we were going to open for them, but it
turns out they actually want us to play with them on 3 of their songs during the
show. One is based on a traditional niggun from the Yom Kippur liturgy, and one
is an acoustic song they wrote that was on a previous album. The third is a sort
of dark humor thing. You have to appreciate this. There we are, sitting in their
studio, having worked out the first two songs, and I'm holding my tuba, and the
bass player turns to me and asks me if I play any heavy metal. I looked
cross-wise at the tuba, and they all broke up. Anyway, they do a heavy metal
style song called "Silence" that is anything but, and we are supposed to break
into "Five Foot Two" in the middle, with tuba and banjo, and then fade back and
forth between us and the heavy metal stuff. You have to hear it to believe it.
It's going to be on the radio, so I will try to get someone to record it for me.

Then I had to literally race back to Jerusalem, go home and change clothes and
instruments, and play for an hour at a rest home. It was one of those places
where the people are in pretty good shape, and they were singing along, and one
or two even danced.

Then I ran home for a quick bite, change instruments again, and head out to a
folk music event. One of our musical statesmen in the folk music scene holds an
annual concert in memory of his brother, who died during heart surgery 8 years
ago. I've been to several of these. This one turned out to be special for
several reasons. First, there was a 7 piece Barbershop harmony group who played
the first half hour. I know them, and I never miss their performances except
under duress. Heaven! Then, a number of friends from the folk music scene in Tel
Aviv came up, including one gal who was on the stage at Mike's Place (the Tel
Aviv bar that was bombed at the beginning of May) when the bombing happened.
Incidentally, I have another friend who was there in the audience that night.
Both survived, and I don't think they were even hurt, just shaken up pretty
good. I was only recently at this gal's 50th birthday party. So she sang a set
tonight.

The next job is Thursday -- strolling jazz from table to table at an outdoor
dinner for a 300 person tour group. One of the group leaders is a quite good
bone player, and will join us.

That's the latest in happening jazz from Israel.

Elazar
Misrad HaJazz
Doctor Jazz Band
Jerusalem, Israel
<www.israel.net/ministry-of-jazz>
Tel: +972-2-679-2537