[Dixielandjazz] The Red Sea Jazz Festival

[Steve Barbone]

LONG - MAY BE BORING - DELETE NOW IF NOT INTERESTED


Here is the skinny on the Red Sea Jazz Festival:

Cheers,
Steve Barbone


Preservation Hall cancelled their commitment when the fighting in Lebanon
broke out, about 6 weeks before the Jazz Festival. The organizers then
contacted Tom Wiggins for an appropriate Dixieland Band to replace them.
Suffice it to say He was their first call because he knows how to band
market. And he put it all together with minimum fuss.

Tom knew St. Gabriel was not the proper replacement band and he sought
experienced Dixieland Jazz musicians to supplement himself, drummer James
Levi and Trombonist Marc Bolin. Those chosen were cornetist Bob Romans,
tubist Buddy Apfel, pianist John Wilder, trumpeter Paul Grant and
clarinetist Steve Barbone. While a pick-up group, there were some
interesting dynamics that would make it work like a charm.

Tom has gigged extensively with Bob, James, Buddy, Marc and John. And Steve
and Paul did over 200 gigs together last year and 100 so far this year. With
his flair for organization, Tom rehearsed his group on songs that Steve &
Paul wanted to do as audience connectors (I Want A Little Girl, Someday
You'll Be Sorry). He then volunteered Steve to be music director and handle
the microphone at the concerts. Steve, in turn, volunteered Paul to be in
charge of tempo's and count the tunes off.

The overall music plan was to be HIGH ENERGY, BOISTEROUS, SEXY and FUN. All
in New Orleans Marching Brass Band uniforms to help reference the Katrina
Anniversary.

FLIGHT OVER:
Grueling, however since we were sponsored by EL AL and performing in the
largest venue at the festival (EL AL Hall) they took great care of us. We
all met at JFK in New York and got on a long line to go through security at
the El Al Terminal. We were spotted by an El Al rep who said, come with me
and we will process your group together. Went through a special check-in, no
luggage hassles, immediate passport checking and boom, we were done. WOW.
Settled in for the 9 and 1/2 hour flight to Israel.

TEL AVIV:
Met at the gate by another rep who wound us through a special passageway to
an empty room where she cleared our passports/documents, bypassing the 500
person line to passport control. Then through other empty passageways to the
main terminal room where we waited for our connection to Eilat.

EILAT:
Met at gate by another rep, same special handling routine, special bus to
hotel. Immediate check in and single rooms for all, overlooking the Red Sea.
Arrived about 11 PM. Slept late the next morning to be in shape for action.


THE RED SEA JAZZ FESTIVAL:

We had firmed up a tune list during waiting time at the airports and
sketched out the two shows. I spent some flight time learning several
phrases in Hebrew to use as audience connectors. Tough to get pronunciation
right unless you are Israeli (or Dutch so I was told).

We did a one hour sound check also using that time to play together for the
first time. Rehearsed routines to assign breaks, duets, etc., for tunes like
Tiger Rag, Shine., DYKWIMTMNO, etc.

SHOWTIME:

Venues are at the Seaport, outdoors, ringed on three sides by stacked
containers. We were right on the Red Sea facing an old Ferryboat at the
dock. Seating for about 3000 and the MAJOR VENUE among 4 at the festival.
Tickets cost about $40 US for the hour and 15 minute set. Wonderful stage
set about 3 feet above seating area, great lighting and sound. Stage manager
is a BEAUTIFUL girl of 25 named Yael. She does a great job making sure of
the details, like water and towels by each player, time cues, etc. Note that
venue is nearly full 10 minutes before start and folks still entering.

Uniforms were New Orleans Brass Band Style. We assemble by the out side of
one of the containers and program begins with us suddenly appearing at back
of seating area marching single file to "Just A Closer Walk With Thee. Dirge
style at first, then as we hit main aisle, double time. Crowd 3000 or so,
loves it, rises up. Claps in time, takes pictures, shouts etc. We get on
stage and finish up. I then tell them this is how a N.O. Band would work a
funeral etc., while Tom sets up his drum kit after the march. I introduce
Paul and tell the crowd that we are scattered all around the USA and this is
a N.O. Reunion band, letting them draw their own conclusion about whether or
not we are N.O. refugees.

The introduce TOM, as the leader of this group. He talks about New Orleans
for a few seconds and then off we go.

First number from stage is high speed/energy and crowd responds by dancing
and jumping up and down. HUGE CHEERS at end.

I then start verbal audience connection routine. Tell them that we are asked
by many people "Why do you come here, when others are afraid to do so?" I
say the reason we do is simple: (spelled phonetically from my crib notes)
AN-ACH-NU, OHA-VEEM, ET-(key'm)CHEM. Which is "WE LOVE YOU" in Hebrew. Crowd
comes out of their seats with a giant roar of approval and I respond with
TO-DAH, RA-BAH which in Hebrew is "THANK YOU VERY MUCH" Another roar of
approval from the still standing crowd.

Then announce next tune etc., till we get to my vocal number. "I WANT A
LITTLE GIRL" I then bring Yael, our stage manager out front, put my arm
around her and tell crowd that the reason we became jazz musicians is "to
get women" like Yael. They laugh and we do tune. Yael is super good at
playing the foil. While I sing the song, staring at her, she sways, smiles,
stares back etc. Play the song on our CD and you can imagine how sexy we
made it. 

You know, like "I want a little girl"  (adding a quick "please don't make me
beg"), before "To call my own", etc.  CROWD GOES NUTS and I take off my
uniform hat to rub my hand through my hair and say to the crowd "I still got
it" when Yael hugs and kisses me. I say to mic. "I'm glad she likes me lest
she drive a spike into my temples like the Biblical Yael did to Sisera,
nailing him to the ground. Huge laugh.

Rest of show is like that. Young people start to dance and sway. I point to
them from stage and say YEAH WE SEE YOU THANK YOU FOR DANCING. They yell
beck, NO, THANK YOU. One girl runs up smiles and says; "I know you see me."


JAM SESSIONS:
That night (Monday) Paul and I go to play at Jam Session which is in huge
courtyard of Riviera Hotel in front of pool. Beautiful venue. Rest of band
does not go. LIst mate Elazar Brant comes with us hoping to sit in too but
music is modern.  Since all the other groups and musicians are modern or
world jazz,  we play modern jazz with some kick ass internationally
prominent musicians like Cuban pianist Gonzalo Rubalcaba and some very hip
Russian, French and young Israeli musicians. Because they do not know and
Dixieland, we do Charlie Parker bop and Miles Davis modal jazz. I also talk
to crowd with my usual banter about the reason we came to Israel was to get
girls. (The audience was 60-40 female and 75% under 35) Had a ball and told
them we would be back to play New Orleans jazz at tomorrow's jam session so
be sure to come. Paul and I got much applause because we are fiery players.
One pretty young girl in audience asks me if I will  bring her on stage at
the concert Wednesday night and sing to her. I said it was Paul's turn and
that he would sing to her. She is thrilled and gives us both hugs and
kisses.

Next day (Tuesday) Paul and I go shopping downtown. People stop us in the
mall, point and say "New Orleans". The TV folks had taped the band sound
check and some of the show. Ambassador Band and musicians were on TV news
every day for 3 days. Young people see us, insist upon having their picture
taken with us, hugging them etc. Even kissing us. We love it and tell them
to come to jam session that night

Tom sets up a live radio interview with him and me. DJ plays 2 songs from my
CDs and one from Tom's St Gabriel CDs. (Little Girl Included at my request
with his note that I will be choosing a young lady from the audience again
at Wednesday's performance. FM station is "Voice of The Red Sea" and program
is Jazz Me Blue. 

TUESDAY NIGHT JAM SESSION;

This time John (piano) and Buddy come with Paul and me to play. So we can
borrow the rest of the instrumentation from the other players to have a
Dixieland Band. We get up on stand and "borrow" an Israeli bass player
(Buddy brought his pocket trumpet) and a Russian drummer and start playing
Dixieland. Then Frank Lacey, a black avant garde trombonist with Mingus
Dynasty joins in. He knows the tunes and how to ignite the crowd also.

Where the modern groups who proceeded us got polite applause, we get wild
cheering after first number "Indiana". I then start the "entertainment". I
sing "I Want a Little Girl" to a 17 year old volunteer from the audience
same sort of routine. Hey I play jazz to get girls. She says, yeah, and he's
still doing OK, no? Crowd roars approval. After a kiss, I tell her and crowd
that she just got a kiss from a 73 year old. She says, "I like it and I'm
only 17." ME: Can I go to jail here for that? Her: No, I'm legal.

A young Israeli guitarist joins us. He is superb. I say hey folks, Jazz
Guitarists always get all the women. He shyly says, no, drummers do in
Israel. Someone in crowd (female) shouts no, clarinetists do and I crack up.

Bring up another girl and Paul sings "Someday You'll Be Sorry' to her. Same
thing. I tell crowd to come to our show for more of the same. Remind them
that we will bring a girl on stage then. They roar a "yes, we will be
there". We go to leave stage, but Trombonist starts Sweet Georgia Brown so
we return. Two girls holler out that they sing it so we bring them on jam
session stage. And they belt it out. Pandemonium from crowd. Girl for
Wednesday show song asks me if I forgot her? I said "of course not, you are
on for tomorrow and the prettiest one to be on stage with us." She is
relieved as I tell her that is the BIG stage. Gonzalo Rubalcaba is digging
us and slides onto the piano chair to join us. John Wilder graciously lets
him play.

We finally leave but have trouble getting out of area because girls are
mobbing Paul, John, Buddy and me wanting to come on stage Wednesday.
Hugging, kissing, taking pictures, autographs etc. Buddy is hit upon by a
singer who wants to come on stage Wednesday Tom and James Levi watched
performance from the musicians bar at the session. No other musicians at
either Jam session got the attention that we did.

WEDNESDAY NIGHT:

At sound check, Yael asks if she will be on stage that night too as her
mother will be there. I said no, I had promised another, but will fit her in
too if she wants. She thinks it over and declines graciously saying we
should spread our cheer around. (Oh how I wished I was 30)

Same routine, same banter in Hebrew, but crowd is slightly different. Now
about 300 kids come up right in front of the bandstand to form a mosh pit
between 1st row and bandstand. Packed tightly. All between 17 and 35.

They dance and sway from first number. Band is now really tight. Paul gets
great reaction with "Someday You Be Sorry" to the pretty young girl from the
jam session. She is beaming as we both kiss her on a cheek while friend
takes picture from mosh pit.

Now kids are begging us to touch them from stage and we do, when not playing
and someone else is soloing. I kneel down shake male hands and kiss girls to
the delight of everybody. Rest of front line shakes hands. Buddy now comes
up to front to play Tuba solos having, at Tom's suggestion, taped his mike
to the bell. Bends over and plays right into the mosh pit. Crowd loves it.
Huge cheers, many dancing in aisle outside mosh pit. When I say Todah Rabah
after a number, they all shout back, NO . . .  THANK YOU.

Standing O, played Saints as an encore and they dance and roared all the way
through it. Nothing else like that at the festival, though there were more
experienced musicians as well as better players.

WE HAD THE CROWD IN THE PALM OF OUR HANDS. To the point where we could have
done anything we wanted and they would follow.

After the show we were mobbed at the stage door by YOUNG FANS. One mother
and 10 year old son stopped by to tell me that he was a clarinet player and
had been looking forward to hearing a jazz clarinet for two weeks. He was
sick all day, had a headache, throwing up, but insisted upon still going,
staying till the end because he was mesmerized by a jazz clarinet sound and
heard me quote Hava Nigela in I found a New Baby and Peter and The Wolf in
the Saints. She asked shyly if she was out of line to ask for an autograph.
Of course not, what's his name and I dedicated it to him. Same for other
guys. We all had groups of adoring fans surrounding us.

Then mobbed by kids, kisses, hugs, thank you for coming to Israel, you guys
are great, will you come next year etc. Finally an very pretty woman about
50 comes up and says: "Do you also have older fans?" in a very sexy voice.
Sure I said and we talked for a while, lamenting the fact that the band was
leaving for Tel Aviv right after going back to the hotel for a shower. She
said; "Pity we didn't meet Monday."

Yep, like I said, "To get Girls."

The Ambassadors of New Orleans grabbed the audience like nobody they'd ever
seen before. We made love to them and as a result, they loved us back. It
doesn't get any better then being on the receiving end of adulation normally
reserved for Rock Stars.

TYPICAL FAN COMMENTS:

1) "Most touching performance of that song I ever heard". (After hearing us
   do DYKWIMTMNO. I had choked up in announcing it, not being able to speak
   for 10 seconds in mid sentence and having to wipe away a tear or two)

2) "Wow, The Ambassadors put on a fantastic show, great music." This is a
   modern jazz festival and you stole the spotlight."

3) "Please come back, we love you."

4) "I've never seen such a crowd reaction as the one tonight." (Wed program)

5) Etc., etc., etc.


ISRAEL?

Great land, great people. Beautiful girls with beautiful skin and coloring.
Next time we should stay longer. They treated us royally, grateful that we
came over and they loved us and our music.

Thank you Tom Wiggins for knowing how to market a band so that we got the
opportunity to do our thing. It would not have happened without you. Hope
they invite us back as I forgot to bring Mardi Gras beads. Can you imagine
what would have happened if we'd had them? Oh My God!!!!

Cheers,
Steve Barbone