[Dixielandjazz] New Orleans Function with guest artist Israel Gurion

[Marek Boym]

Hi,
On Sunday my friend and I attended the peformance described below.  I
have not yet had time to read it - some urgent work - but Donna is an
excellent writer, so I am forwarding her write-up (also available on
her facebook) as is.
Cheers

Levontin 7 is both the address and the name of the basement club that hosted the
performance. Like Pizza Express in London, there's a restaurant
upstairs and a musical
venue downstairs, though Levontin 7 is not devoted to jazz. One
descends into a real cellar
painted in black and white and fitted out with a stage and bar. Wooden
chairs were set up
to accommodate the audience, but we were told it was standing room
only. The place can
hold 200 people, but I'm glad there were actually much fewer, say one
hundred or so, most
of whom did find seats. Marek and I eventually did too – just to the
right of the spacious,
well, lit and unobtrusively amplified stage. Shimi and Kobi were right
in front of us, with the
rest of the band strung up behind. The small space created an intimate
atmosphere. The
audience of all ages, including some children and friends and family
of band-members, was
friendly and in a good mood from the outset.

Israel Gurion is a multitalented veteran Israeli entertainer, who has
justifiably remained
popular for decades! Among other things, he's a disciple of Marcel
Marceau, so his
inimitable stage presence is not surprised.

The band started out without the guest, however, setting the tone for
the evening and
showing it could swing an Israeli standard , melding it into Saint
James Infirmary and ending
with a quote from the Funeral March. The program included such mixes,
as well as straight
New Orleans standards and Israeli songs (some derived from Russian
folk music) that
could really swing and pass as pure jazz! Israel Gurion joined in as
vocalist after about two
numbers and was on stage much, but not all of the time, for the rest
of the show. His vocals
were rhythmic and entertaining (both for the words and the music). He
demonstrated
a truly fluent talent for scatting and actually did a schtik
reminiscent of Louis Armstrong,
getting all tangled in the music on the stand, dropping pages and
eventually throwing them
all away. He danced energetically on stage while others soloed,
reminding me of Jacques
Sany and joined in on sax on two standards; as far as I can recall,
they were Down by the
Riverside and The Saints.

The enthusiastic audience applauded (and shouted) loud and long after
every single solo and
number was and the band actually played a few encores! The staff had
to quickly clear out
the chairs for the late night crowd.



You can find New Orleans Function on Facebook, You Tube and My Space,
including a video
from their previous performance with Israel Gurion in Jerusalem. On
Facebook, Arnon de
Botton has also promised that videos of last night's performance are
on their way.

Lineup:

Yair Salzman-drums
Yoav Kolumbus-bass
Arnon DeBotton-trombone
Shimi (Panza) Gilad- Banjo
Eli Preminger-Trumpet
Kobi Solomon –clarinet

Israel Gurion – special guest – vocals, tenor sax and comic relief!