[Dixielandjazz] Tito Martino European Tour

[Ingemar Wågerman]

Tito sent me this message, which he wanted me to forward to the listmates!

Ingemar Wagerman, Gota River Jazzmen, Gothenburg, Sweden

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Hi Ingemar !

yes, here am I, back home again, just arrived 5 days ago !    I am out 
of the DJML since I left for my tour, I just have to re-start the 
mailing.   

I want to thank you and the whole Gota River Jazz Band, it was a real 
pleasure and a musical experience to play with you all.  

My tour started in Portugal, where I played with my Band the Tito 
Martino Jazz Band with Jens Lindgren as a special guest;   The fact that 
he played his wonderful trombone with my Band in the Festival was a 
great pleasure to we all, and helped definitely my Brazilian Jazz Band 
to be considered one of the best Bands in the III Cantanhede 
International Dixieland Festival spite of excellent Bands from Portugal, 
Italy, Spain, Holland and England.
 
After Portugal, my Band went home and I took a flight to Stockholm.  
Thanks to Jesse Lindgren, I was able to enjoy a great stay in Sweden, 
and all the good things he arranged and provided for me, including 
having me as a guest at his home.    In Stockolm, I played with the 
Sveriges Jazzband of the good trumpetist Eddie Bruhner, in a restaurant 
at the top of a hill, overlooking all the town.   After leaving 
Stockholm, I went with Jesse to Linkoping and to the Festival at Askersund.

Knowing and playing with the great trumpet man Bent Persson's Band in 
Linkoping was a remarkable experience, he is indeed a great guy and a 
true jazzman,  and he also lend his car for Jesse and me, to travel to 
Askersund.    

The Festival there was for me another surprise, with hot weather,  many 
Bands parading in the streets, and Jesse opening the Festival at the big 
square making the MC of the whole Festival and Maestro of more than 
twelve Bands , side by side with the Major.    

Playing with the Gota River Jazzmen  in a Riverboat was another great 
experience; great Band, great fellows, great public, wonderful views.   
Very enjoyable our conversation with wine and pizza after the gig.

I played some numbers in the Church with Jesse's Band, but closing the 
Festival at night with Jesse's Classic Jazz Band was a pleasure and also 
a honor for me, as I was aware of the high musical level of the players 
and noticed the importance of the Band in the whole context of the 
Festival.    In the whole, I learned and learned and I'm bringing home 
some important memories that will be useful in the future.

Following my traveling plan, I went to Genéve and to Bern, where I had 
lived for 9 years, I saw my daughters and my  starting to walk grandson, 
cooked some good Italian food to them all, and the 29 June I was invited 
by my old friends of my former Band in Swiss 15 years ago, the Bogalusa 
New Orleans Jazzband, to play with them at the Rapperswil Jazz and Blues 
Festival;  there we played open air, in a stage near the lake, to a 
joyful audience.  Hot weather, lots of cold beer.

The 4th July I flew to Wien, where I met at the airport my old friend 
the banjo player Erwin Frassine.  He took me to the cute small Hotel in 
the center town of old Wien, where I stayed for 5 days and 6 nights as a 
guest of the Jazzland, famous Jazz Club celebrating it's 34th 
anniversary and where I played the 8th July with the Red Hot Pods, 
leaded by Erwin.  It's a truly great Jazz Band, and many of it's present 
members where my guests 30 years ago playing at my former Jazz Club OPUS 
2004, in São Paulo. It was the last time I had seen them !   I learned 
that in the mean time they had played and recorded with the likes of Art 
Hodes, Jim Gallaway, Ed Polcer, Allan Vaché, Wild Bill davison, Kenny 
Davern, Albert Nicholas, Cynthia Sayer, Ralph Sutton....     I was 
scared....      But our gig at the Jazzland went very well.  I hope the 
live recording made don't prove to be otherwise....     In Wien I played 
also with members of the Red Hot Pods in a Riverboat cruising the Danube.

The 10 July I took the flight back to São Paulo via Lisboa, but not 
without visiting impressive St. George Castle and eating once more a 
delicious bacalhau (stockfish) with strong portuguese red wine.

All in all, it was a rewarding trip, I made some important contacts to 
organize a next tour,  I enjoyed and learned a lot, and I'm aware it all 
was only possible because of the care and help of many good friends.

I thank you too for your friendship and look forward to some good 
occasion to play again together in Sweden or.......... maybe in Brazil !

  Give my best regards to all the guys of the Gota River, and let's keep 
on swingin' !!!

cheers and beers,

Tito Martino-- 
TITO MARTINO JAZZ BAND
www.titomartinojazzband.com.br
(011) 8206-5747