[Dixielandjazz] Support live jazz - Frank Vignola and Vinnie Raniolo in Israel

[Marek Boym]

Last week, my friend Donna and I went to hear Frank Vignola and Vinnie
Raniolo on two consecutive nights, first in Jerusalem and then in
Tel-Aviv.  I was going to mention it right away, but decided to leave
it to Donna instead - she is a great guitar fan (who also plays the
guitar) and such a good writer!  Unlike me, she is still working
(serves her right - she is so young!), so she has taken a few days to
write.  Below is what she has to say:
Dynamic duo Frank Vignola and Vinnie Ranniolo, impeccably-dressed nice
guys and extraordinary virtuoso musicians, recently brought their
over-the-top polished Vegas –style show to Israel (surely an
intentional pastiche of themselves - see them on You Tube).  They
spice up the atmosphere by bringing up local musicians to play with
them and I could almost hear sidekick Vinnie exclaim "Holy Gypsy Land"
when mild-mannered, jeans-clad Yaakov Hoter of Swing de Gitanes
revealed his super powers when he launched into Nuages.  The three
engaged in an electrical musical exchange, including a segue into Ochi
Chornye.
Frank Vignola and Vinnie Ranniolo really take the philosophy that life
is a laugh to the limit and demonstrate that it's no rumor that the
guitarists of the world are one tight-knit family, regardless of minor
differences like language, religion or cultural background.  I
attended both their Jerusalem concert and the one in Tel Aviv.  Their
show is aimed to have a very wide appeal and they are completely at
home with music of many different genres and a generous helping of
nostalgia.  I must admit to being enchanted by the short Beatles
medley of If I Give my Heart to You and Here, There and Everywhere.
Having seen them play The Flight of the Bumblebee on You Tube quite
ably while jumping on a trampoline, I'm convinced that playing while
doing simple kicks, plies and other dance steps, as they did, is
nothing for them (while I myself find playing a chord and saying its
name out loud at one and the same time quite a challenge).  It seems
that Vinnie and Frank get a lot of their kicks from the reactions they
get from their audiences, who really doesn't need prompting to sing
along, and from actively seeking out local guitarists and having them
participate in their show.
The highlight of both evenings was in Jerusalem, when Yaakov Hoter,
looking disarmingly young and casual, gave Frank and Vinnie a run for
their money on a few Gypsy swing numbers.  Frank realized Yaakov was
up for a challenge and switched tunes in the middle, lunged at
Yaakov's tuning machines as though to change the tuning, etc. Yaakov
later pointedly and purposely tuned down the top string to play a
lower note, with a "so there" glance at Frank, who invited Yaakov to
stay on stage when the next guest, Dotan from the Rimon Music School,
came up.  Yaakov not only shone on Nuages, but also was brilliant when
called back up for Minor Swing, on which he engaged both Vinnie and
Frank in trading eights later on, setting sparks flying among the
three and leading to raucous applause.
In general, I enjoyed the performance in Jerusalem more.  It was a lot
longer and there were more guests (there were very able musicians
onstage at both venues).  The atmosphere was more intimate; although
there were tables, they were smaller than those in Tel Aviv and the
whole audience was closer to the stage; I was sitting right nearby.
There were a lot of English speakers and a bunch of my friends from
the jam session gang, with families, a bunch of whom clambered on
stage to play All of Me and Sweet Georgia Brown in a Dixieland vein,
with Frank and Vinnie and all of the guests; Yaakov shone on the jam
once again.  A bear-like Russian-speaker whose name I didn't catch
played in Chet Atkins style and appeared on both nights.  In
Jerusalem, he showed his skill as a sit-down comedian, as that's just
what he did when Frank went into a long drawn-out story!  The guests
in Tel Aviv included Roman Alexeev, who brought along lots of fans and
played Charlie Christian numbers with brilliance and energy, and Geoff
Menzer who updated Making Whoopy with the words "he doesn't even
text."  All the guests on both nights got into the swing of things and
many showed their prowess as stand-up comedians as well as musicians,
and even did a few kicks.
It seems this whole tour was spearheaded by Frank's online guitar
lessons - teach music online and see the world!
I'm looking forward to hearing Frank and Vinnie again on their next
visits to Israel, and hope they'll have many an opportunity to play
swinging music in an intimate setting.  Maybe I can even attend a
master class!
Cheers