[Dixielandjazz] The Music Man in Galilee

[Ministry of Jazz]

Shalom Jazz fans,

I returned late last night from a wonderful musical weekend at our 6th
annual folk music event in a small settlement near Mount Tabor (the stomping
grounds of the Judge Deborah in the Bible, and the alleged site of the
transfiguration of Jesus). We started this annual event in 2001 to enjoy one
another's music and to encourage the pros, amateurs, beginners and wannabes
alike to explore new musical horizons and to mix and match the players.

Last year we began a "Music Draw" in which participants' names are drawn at
random and the resulting pairs are notified some 2 weeks prior to prepare
10-15 minutes of material for the closing show on Saturday night. This year
some unusual and creative combinations were formed.

Two of the gals, both talented performers, did a bit that had me laughing
out loud. I just had to pass along the concept, for anyone who encourages
sit-ins and wants to add a bit of musical comedy to your act. They
introduced the song saying they wanted to make life easier for the
accompanists of singers. So they took an old pop ballad, "Crazy", and
rewrote the words so the first word of each measure began with the letter of
the chord needed for that measure. Of course, the song was in C (for
"Crazy"). Additional fun comes from trying to get minors, diminished and
augmenteds and 7th chords into the words. To prove it works, they invited a
guitarist from the audience who had not rehearsed with them and didn't know
the song. Well, it was a little rough, as you might imagine, but great fun
and a hilarious routine.

My partner was a gal I had met before but never performed with. We did Lida
Rose from the Music Man, and then went into an adaptation of "Who's on
First?" that I've been working on, fitted to the jazz band context instead
of baseball. I got videos of both, which are now up on You Tube for anyone
who'd like to see:

Lida Rose:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1l6WnbC1pqA
Who's on Trumpet?:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2xNPllKWSPQ

As usual, the available PA system was terrible, so I apologize in advance
for the poor sound quality. But you'll definitely get the idea.

I also did my annual shtick where I take people who have never played
before, and in a 30 minute workshop in the afternoon, I form them into a
band that opens the main show on Friday evening. This year we did a brass
horn group and a banjo group separately. I got videos of both that need to
be edited and uploaded, so look for them in the next day or so. This routine
gets a little better each year. The horns were more together and
volume-controlled this year than ever before, and the banjos almost made
real music. More about this one when the videos are available.

Elazar "There's trouble in River City -- and if there isn't yet, there will
be" Brandt
Dr. Jazz Dixieland Band
Tekiya Trumpet Ensemble
Jerusalem, Israel
www.israel.net/ministry-of-jazz
+972-2-679-2537