[Dixielandjazz] Emailing: Red Sea Jazz Festival...8-26-31 028.jpg

Tue Sep 5 17:19:45 PDT 2006

Johnny Wilder forwarded this to me for me to post to all of you...
Warmest regards,
Bob Romans,
1617 Lakeshore Drive,
Lodi, Calif., 95242
PH 209-747-1148
www.cellblockseven2002.net

----- Original Message ----- 
From: John Wilder 
To: 'Bob Romans' 
Sent: Tuesday, September 05, 2006 4:33 PM
Subject: RE: Emailing: Red Sea Jazz Festival...8-26-31 028.jpg

Hi to all on DJML!!!

Although I am not currently subscribed to DJML, Tom Wiggins asked me to share some insights into our trip last week to Israel for the list.  Not being on DJML, I've not read any other posts on the subject by my fellow band members, so this will be more-or-less unbiased.

First, let me tell you that I've never in my life received such an enthusiastic response from an audience as we got from the Israel audience!  I think we all felt like rock stars up there - I know I did!  After the shows I went to the front of the stage and there were over 200 screaming fans pushing each other to be able to shake my hand.  They were asking, "Where I can get the CD's like this?  I've not heard this music before.  I want to play like you!  How can you play piano like that?"  etc.  Our first show was very well-attended, but our second show was  sold out! I think most everyone who came to the first concert came back, and brought six friends.  The festival is attended mostly by young people.  I would say that audience members over 35 years old were only a small minority.  We played the old Dixieland standards, but with really high energy, and these people apparently had never heard music like this before.  They know straight-ahead jazz, be-bop, Latin, etc. but the old Louie Armstrong and similar stuff is brand new to them and they love it! 

Our band was 8 pieces.  I only knew two of them before arriving there.  Bob Romans (Bob recommended me for this gig - a HUGE thanks, Bob!) and Buddy Apfel, (tuba).  Our only rehearsal was during sound check, so it was really good to have all accomplished and experienced guys on the gig.  Both concerts began with the band marching in from the rear of the audience - (I did not join them, as I have yet to master marching piano, and I didn't have my banjo with me.)  As good as the music was, a plain concert never goes over as well as a "show", and Steve Barbone (Clarinet) is as smooth as they come as an MC.  He really provided the "show" part of our program with elegance.  In fact, his first words got us a standing ovation - He said, "Shalom, you're a great audience, and we love you!" (or some such phrase) in Hebrew.  They went wild!  (Which gorgeous lady taught you the Hebrew, Steve???)  Steve brought one of the pretty ladies up on stage and sang, "I want a little girl" to her.  Another girl after the show told him she wanted to be brought up on stage next time.  Steve's answer - "You got a shorter mini-skirt?  You wear your shortest mini-skirt Wednesday, and I'll bring you up on stage."  She got all excited, and said, "I have a shorter one!!!"   Needless to say, she was up on stage Wednesday - to the whole band's delight!

Paul Grant played lead trumpet and kept the band together really tight.  He recently played a show off Broadway that honors Louis Armstrong, and if it runs again, I would really consider flying out to see it, as Paul is great on trumpet!  Paul is a quiet guy, but behind his horn he's a real monster!!!  These guys are both lots of fun to work with, and extremely professional.  I hope to work with them much more in the future.  Bob Romans played second horn (Cornet), and since that's primarily what he does with his own band (Cell Block 7 - which, by the way, he and I started before Bob was 50 years old) Bob was just as smooth as silk, and really added a lot to the fullness of the front line.

Buddy, having been recently separated, was in hog-heaven with all the ladies - all seemed to be attracted to his handlebar mustache!  By departure, I think Buddy had narrowed it down to just 140 or so women.  Buddy was featured frequently on tuba solos, and he always wows 'em - even here in the states.  In Israel he went over fabulous.  Mark played trombone, and although this style of music is new to him as well, he is really super on his horn, and added some very cool stuff to our band.  Mark is also a great guy to travel with, and we had lots of fun together.  James Levi was our main drummer, providing more of a street-beat style than most Dixieland bands have, and really created a unique sound for us.

On piano was John Wilder (That's me).  I am now probably considered the best Dixieland pianist in Israel - of course, since they hadn't heard our kind of Dixieland before, I'm also the "only" Dixieland pianist they've heard.  But, as I said, two hundred people rushing to the stage front to shake my hand and ask for CD's leads me to believe I also did a good job.

Tom Wiggins who put the whole tour together and played a marching drum setup seemed delighted that our sets went over far better than he had even hoped for.  His comment about me was that he couldn't have been more happy with my playing and professionalism, which I hope translates into, "I'll call you again for more of these fabulous gigs!"  Anytime, Tom, anytime!!!  I hear the festival promoters were calling us the "Hit of the festival", and Tom is probably still on a high from our glorious reception there.

Now as to the trip itself, after being on airplanes constantly for just over 6 weeks (a very slight exaggeration, but it sure felt like it!) we arrived in Tel-Aviv.  After nearly a 6 hour layover we boarded another plane for Eilat - about a one hour flight on a prop plane.  I happened to sit next to a gentleman who looked like a businessman, and struck up a conversation with him.  Turns out, he's the mayor of Eilat's sister city in Germany - "Hermann the German".  He was on his way to attend the festival, and was delighted to meet one of the performers.  The happy result is that I now have an open invitation to stay as a guest of the mayor of a city in Germany.  (Since I can't read German, I can't figure out which thing on the business card is the name of the city that he's mayor of - could be Kamen???)

Arrival was uneventful, except for our trombone player, who arrived sans-trombone.  (It finally arrived in Tel-Aviv less than one hour before we took off back to the states after the festival.  He played a borrowed horn the whole time.)  Our accommodations were nice private rooms with spectacular views of the Red Sea and the desert mountains.  Each had a balcony - mine overlooked what would have been a great view of the pool, except for the roof over the bar blocking the view.  (Damn!!!)  All meals were covered by the festival, and were mostly buffets - all kosher.

In Eilat, I met Elazar Brandt, who runs a Dixieland band in Israel - maybe the only one in Israel.  I believe he's on the DJML, so many of you may know him.  If you haven't met him in person, let me say that he's a joy to be with, and a great guy!  He took Bob Romans and me to the underwater observatory, and we both had a great time.  Thanks for escorting us, Elazar!!!

One of the most memorable things I learned while there is that the women of Israel are gorgeous!!!!!  I've never seen so many sexy, beautiful, svelte, sexy women in one place.  (Guys, don't read this line to your wife, if you plan to visit Israel - she may not let you go!)  To give you an idea, an average-looking girl in Israel would be beautiful in the US.  Pretty girls in Israel are drop-dead gorgeous!!!  Besides their looks, Israeli women are all very friendly and very interested in Americans.  What a vacation!!!!!

On Tuesday, our day off, Buddy and I joined Tom's son on an all-day tour to "Petra" in the country of Jordan.  If you've seen "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade" then you've seen the treasury at Petra.  These are huge carvings in the rock faces that look like the front of buildings, but are really just carved out of the rock face.  There are about 500 of them in various states of decay, and Petra was built about 2,000 years ago.  This is a fascinating trip!  If you go, some pointers:  The trip is about 6 miles of walking.  Going in, it's all downhill.  Bedouin merchants along the way will sell you water for $1 per bottle, and provide change in American dollars.  At the bottom they give you an all-you-can-eat buffet (delicious!)  Then there's the three mile hike UPHILL on a FULL STOMACH!!!  Water bottles are now $3 per bottle on the way up, and they all seemed to have run out of American money for change.  Dinar only!  Should you not want to walk, you can hire a horse to take you down.  However, a short while later you're told that this is as far as the horse goes.  Soon there is an offer of a carriage ride down.  However, the carriage only goes a short way and then stops.  Donkeys will take you down, but they conveniently stop where the Camel rides start.  All want money and tips for the ride, and going up is the same thing in reverse order.  If you bought lots of water and took all the rides, you could spend a small fortune!!!  Buddy "kissed the sand".  Not on purpose, but because he tripped, and fell head first into the sand.  The rest of the day Buddy's left side had a strange red tint.

In Eilat we took a tour to the undersea observatory, as mentioned above.  It's a building where you go underwater and look through windows at all of the colorful fish and coral.  Pretty neat!  Then we saw more on a semi-submersible boat ride where you sit underwater, viewing through windows on the underside of the boat.  This attraction is well worth a visit!  We had a great time!

In conclusion, let me just say, "WOW"  Take me back again - please, please, please!!!  If any of my fellow band members posted anything on DJML that sounded too good to be true, it was probably true!  Yes, it was that good!!!!!

Hope to meet all of you from DJML soon.  I should sign up again!  Thanks for reading!

John Wilder

JohnWilder at Comcast.net

(916) 484-6150

7008 Laurel Oak Way

Fair Oaks,  CA  95628-3110

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: Bob Romans [mailto:cellblk7 at comcast.net] 
Sent: Monday, September 04, 2006 11:59 PM
To: John Wilder
Subject: Emailing: Red Sea Jazz Festival...8-26-31 028.jpg

Hi Johnny...hope you can download this picture...

Please write your thoughts on our performace in Israel, send it to me, and I'll post it on the DJML...include any observations on Israel, the people, fans, venues, food, accomodations, flights...anything you want...but the stir and commotion we caused would be best! Tom Wiggins has mentioned he'd like for us to do this....

Sure was fun!

Later...

Warmest regards,
Bob Romans,
1617 Lakeshore Drive,
Lodi, Calif., 95242
PH 209-747-1148
www.cellblockseven2002.net