[Dixielandjazz] Bohém Ragtime festival

[Ministry of Jazz]

Shalom Jazz Fans,

It's 11:00AM Monday, and I just woke up from the most wonderful dream. I
dreamed that I spent the weekend in heaven. Only heaven was a lot like a
certain Hungarian jazz festival in a town called Kecskemét. And judging from
the stack of Bohém Ragtime Jazz Band CDs in my as yet unpacked suitcase,
maybe it wasn't a dream.

List-mate Tamás Ittzés outdid himself as the organizer of the 16th Bohém
Ragtime Festival. What a weekend! I originally heard about it from list
moderator Bob Ringwald's post on the DJML. For me it's not too far and not
too expensive, and the fact that list-mates Bob Romans and the Cell Block 7
band, as well as the Fulton Street Jazz Band, would be performing there, it
was an added incentive. I certainly was not disappointed.

The weekend began with a delightful narrow gauge train-ride out into the
Hungarian countryside. Our group was met in the train station by members of
Tamás' band playing Dixieland favorites while they prepared the train for
us. On board there was a traditional Hungarian string trio playing folk
music non-stop for the hour-plus ride, while they fed us local booze and
biscuits. At our destination we witnessed (in the rain!) an equestrian show,
and then dined in a quaint country inn on goulash and other Hungarian
specialties.

The music officially began Friday evening with Tamás' Bohém Ragtime Jazz
Band, who put on an impressive and delightful show. Anyone who believes
traditional jazz is dead or dying has not been to Hungary to hear these
young, energetic and gifted players performing impeccable renditions of all
our favorite jazz tunes and some lesser known ones as well. They kept the
audience spell-bound through song after song in big band style, swing,
ragtime piano, string ensemble, Dixieland style and more. I must say that,
now that I've had a little experience with Eastern European jazz bands in
Prague, Moscow, and now Hungary, I love the way they play our music. Many of
these fellows and gals are classically trained players, and they elevate the
jazz harmonies and rhythms to a new level of sophistication ... and they are
absolute masters of their instruments, often of several instruments per
player. I hate them! Headlining the evening show was Fulton Street JB with
our own Bob Ringwald and crew doing their usual fine work. A jam session
followed the evening show, lasting until around 2:00AM, pooling the talents
of members of both of the bands from the show, and a couple of sit-ins,
including yours truly on my cornet and marching trombone. It was a great
treat to play along with such a group of talented and nice fellows.

Saturday began with a piano show featuring Bob Ringwald, Zoltán Kontra (from
the Bohém jazz band) and a 15 year old whiz of a ragtime player from the US
named Adam Swanson. Adam, who claims to have been playing only 5 years, is
one of the best ragtime piano players I've ever heard. I especially enjoyed
the way he infuses such energy and life into the songs while keeping the
integrity of the original compositions. He plays as I imagine ragtime must
have been played when it originally became popular around the turn of the
last century. Adam has an incredible repertoire and is quite knowledgeable
of the composers, players and music of the period. Look for him at the
Joplin House in Saint Louis on Memorial Day, or anywhere else you may have a
chance to hear him play ... don't miss it!

Saturday afternoon we were delighted by the sounds of the Smiling Ragtime
Band -- if my eyes were not deceiving me, an all girl band. These gals
delivered the music with a new slant -- the front line consisting of flutes,
piccolos, and strings (that's violin, not banjo, for us Americans), and 3
(or was it 4?) part vocals. Yet another fine local ingredient in Tamás'
recipe for a superb jazz festival. Headlining the afternoon show was
list-mate Bob Romans and Cell Block 7, with their 2-cornet front line and
their infamous 3 double bell euphonium team, not to mention our own Bill
Gunter on washboard and vocals. Oops. I mentioned him.

More treats awaited us Saturday evening, beginning with John Arpin and his
heavenly piano stylings. John wowed the audience with his arrangements and
medleys that included Gershwin, Jerome Kern and other of our favorite
composers. The next surprise on the program was Shaffers' Riffers, an
8-piece big band from the Czech Republic, yet another crew of youngsters
delivering the old tunes with new energy, creativity and lots of talent.
Topping off the evening program was the Kecskemét Jazz Orchestra playing
dance tunes. The dance band segued into a jam session as they invited others
of us to come up and join them, and then turned to stage over to the
jammers, who went on, I'm told, until 4:00AM (but that includes turning the
clocks ahead an hour at 2:00 for Daylight Savings Time).

Closing the show for this year was Sunday's mid-day program featuring the
Speak Easy Duo on marimba and guitar, dazzling the crowd with flying mallets
hammering out ragtime and jazz tunes. For part of the show they were joined
by a local marimbist (?) who jumped in with no rehearsal and delivered a
seamless performance that was a real treat. And last but certainly not
least, the local Little Jazz Band, a Dixieland line-up that seemed to
consist mainly of players from the Bohém Ragtime Jazz Band, whose masterful
performance left us jumping and looking forward to next year's fest. The
final jam gave a few of us spectators a last chance to jump in and play
along with the festival players.

I cannot fail to mention, though I don't remember exactly where they were on
the schedule, a brass quintet and piano rendition of Rhapsody in Blue that
was absolutely exquisite. I believe those fellows were also courtesy of the
local Bohém band.

When I left on Sunday evening, a group of the players and fans were in
Budapest anticipating a couple of fun days of touring and local food and
music, topped off with a jazz dinner cruise on the Danube yet to happen
tonight. All I can say is, I am so glad I went, and thank you to Tamás for
throwing such a wonderful party, and to Bob Ringwald for letting us know
about it, and again to Tamás and his very efficient staff for tending to our
accommodations, airport pick-ups and deliveries, touring and all the
peripheral things that made the weekend so enjoyable. Don't wait. Don't even
stop to think about it. Just go out and buy your tickets now for next year's
Bohém Ragtime Festival in Kecskemét, Hungary. If it comes anywhere near the
quality of this year's fest, it will be well worth it.

Now back to pioneering on the jazz frontier.

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