[Dixielandjazz] They like it when they hear it

[Elazar Brandt]

Shalom Jazz Fans,

The Doctor Jazz Trio did our first wedding reception Monday evening. Lovely, lush event garden outside Tel Aviv, posh affair for
some 400 guests, they had a DJ for the main event, and we played for about 1 1/2 hours while guests arrived, until the ceremony
started. The band consists of my student/partner on tenor banjo, a drummer, and yours truly on tuba, trombone and trumpet. So we're
really the bottom of a band looking for a front line, but trying to make jazz with what we've got, and apparently more or less
succeeding.

Response was great. The catering staff (who I imagine hear a lot of wedding bands) loved us and could not stop raving about us.
People took the business cards I put on the tables. (Yes, put cards on the tables, folks. We have to be shameless self-promoters.
They're not going to come to you and ask for them during the party, and if someone does, you can bet it will be one of those who
walks up to you on the bandstand while you're playing a tuba solo and starts talking to you like you're waiting for a bus!) The next
day we got a call from the manager of the venue, who wanted a CD and business cards so she could recommend us to customers. And I
don't know what they put in the hummus that night, but she even said I had a great voice.

Then, just to show that it's worth making the effort to get out there and play when you're trying to break into the business, we got
a call from another event planner -- no logical connection to the wedding that we know of, other than some friendly Providence or
good karma -- who also asked for a CD and cards. We're still working on a CD, but we at least have some arguably decent songs
recorded so we can slap demo disks together on request. It's not easy getting everything ready when you're just getting started, but
we have to get out there and do it. My theory has always been, they'll like our music when they hear it. We have to take the music
out to potential audiences and get a hearing. Some of them will buy it.

Good luck to everyone,

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

P.S. I started another young Israeli banjo student this week. He seems to learn fast. That will make 3 of us. Look for the
beginnings of the Jerusalem banjo band, coming soon.