[Dixielandjazz] Jazz mission to northern Israel

[Larry Walton Entertainment - St. Louis]

In 1962 one man's attitude toward music saved me from going to Viet Nam. 
Robert McNamara said he didn't want any bands because you can't shoot 
bullets with flutes.  In improving the morale of the people and putting 
himself in harms way Elazar is showing the true power of music in difficult 
situations.  You can shoot bullets of a different kind with flutes and they 
may be more valuable in the long run than the other kind.
Good Luck
Larry Walton
St. Louis
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Ministry of Jazz" <jazzmin at actcom.net.il>
To: <dixielandjazz at ml.islandnet.com>
Sent: Tuesday, July 25, 2006 4:22 PM
Subject: [Dixielandjazz] Jazz mission to northern Israel


> Shalom jazz fans,
>
> I just returned home (perfectly safe) to Jerusalem after a very long, very
> hot, and oppressively humid day. I was the only musician with a crew of
> about a dozen intrepid souls and a bus load of donated food, supplies and
> toys. We traveled to Naharia, a once-vibrant and beautiful beach town 
> about
> half an hour north of Haifa (and half an hour south of the Lebanese 
> border).
> We also had a comedian and a magician in the crew. On the way there, I
> taught a few hearty volunteers how to make balloon shapes. Our objective 
> was
> to bring entertainment and encouragement, as well as needed supplies, to
> people who have been living in the bomb shelters for 2 weeks now, with no
> end in sight. The shelters are underground rooms with limited furniture 
> and
> facilities, hot like saunas, and in most of them the people have only fans
> for relief from the heat.
>
> We did 5 shows at 2 residential shelters, 2 retirement homes and an
> absorption center for Ethiopian immigrants. If you can picture me, a 
> rather
> large fellow, in a blue and white outfit with shiny gold vest and a bowler
> hat with a 16 inch long blue ostrich feather, hobbling down 2 flights of
> stairs to the shelters while wearing my banjo and playing the Saints on a
> marching (valve) trombone, followed by people with bags of balloons and
> other goodies, and all of us dripping with sweat, well, it wasn't the best
> of conditions for performing. Besides the Ethiopians, the people were 
> mostly
> Russian or native Israelis, the ones who don't have the money or the
> connections to leave and head south to quieter places for the duration of
> the fighting. Trying to find songs to connect with them was a challenge. I
> opted for a mix of upbeat common religious tunes in Hebrew and some
> well-known jazz tunes.
>
> To our great joy, we were greeted with smiles and enthusiastic
> participation. In one retirement home, while I was playing Ain't
> Misbehavin', a very old, bent over fellow jumped out of his chair and 
> began
> to dance quite energetically. This prompted others to dance. Another 
> elderly
> Russian man pulled out an accordion from somewhere, and began to play
> Midnight in Moscow (well, the Russian version of it), Hava Nagilah, and
> other tunes that we both knew. So I inherited an accompanist. The comic 
> and
> magician did their shows, and we ended with a few more songs.
>
> We were told that a katyusha hit about a kilometer from our first stop, 
> but
> we were doing the show in a bomb shelter, and didn't hear or feel 
> anything.
> Other than that, the day was uneventful as far as that kind of excitement
> goes.
>
> The town of Naharia was absolutely deserted. Almost nothing was open. 
> Nobody
> walking the streets and no traffic. It was a strange sight in the height 
> of
> the summer tourist season.
>
> If the war continues, we are considering a similar trip next week to 
> Safed,
> where the attacks are more intense, or back to Naharia. Will keep you
> posted. I hope to have some pictures on my website in a few days.
>
> Elazar "Hit the Deck" Brandt
> Dr. Jazz Dixieland Band
> Tekiya Trumpet Ensemble
> Jerusalem, Israel
> www.israel.net/ministry-of-jazz
> +972-2-679-2537
>
>
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