[Dixielandjazz] Dream Coming True

[Ministry of Jazz]

Shalom Jazz Fans,

It took 10 years. Yesterday I performed on Jerusalem's Ben Yehuda Street
pedestrian mall with a 5-piece OKOM band consisting of myself and 4 Israeli
grad students -- no Russians or Anglos, no pro players. I taught 2 of them
to play banjo and trombone. One of their friends is learning to play
washboard with us, and another beginning clarinet student is learning to
play OKOM from me and the other guys.

Maybe Louis doesn't have much to worry about yet -- and he's dead -- but we
played real music, held a nice crowd's attention for over two hours, made
some money, and we'll see if we get hired for any gigs out of it. We'll be
out again tomorrow.

As many of you know, I started when I arrived in Israel 10 years ago by
playing solo banjo on the main street in town, hoping to make Israelis more
familiar with OKOM and the instruments that go with it, wanting to help to
create a festive atmosphere downtown during our trying political times. At
the time I was the only tenor banjo player in the country. And there was no
Dixieland band in Jerusalem other than the Jerusalem Jazz Band, which plays
locally maybe once a year, but performs mostly at festivals abroad. A couple
years ago, my banjo and trombone students and I began performing as the
Doctor Jazz Band with the help of a couple Russian players when needed. We
have performed for the Jerusalem Municipality, Hebrew University, the Tel
Aviv Teachers' Union, Intel, the Environmental Protection Ministry, and
dozens of weddings, bar mitzvahs and private events. Two years ago we
produced our first CD. My hope is that Dr. Jazz will become Jerusalem's
first and only all-Israeli, home-grown jazz band.

Yesterday we had police in the audience, soldiers, security guards from a
couple nearby banks and stores, kids, teens, and lots of refugees from the
north who are in Jerusalem seeking some respite from the rockets attacking
their cities and towns.

Speaking of which, I'm off today with a group of volunteers to entertain
people in shelters, hospitals and maybe a military base in Naharia, a lovely
beach community north of Haifa that has been getting hit with rockets from
southern Lebanon. Armed with banjo, trombone, balloons and face paints,
along with some donated food and toys and other needed goods, we'll be doing
what we can to boost morale among these folks who are holding the fort. Full
report tonight when I return, and I hope to update my website with pics by
the weekend. I'll post a note when the update is online. Watch out world.
I've got a banjo, and I know how to use it!

Cover me, I'm going in...

Elazar Brandt
Dr. Jazz Dixieland Band
Tekiya Trumpet Ensemble
Jerusalem, Israel
www.israel.net/ministry-of-jazz
+972-2-679-2537