Greetings from the little hamlet of Hastings on Hudson, up the Hudson River from NYC, jazz capital of the world. I must apologize for being delinquent on keeping current with the column. It has been partially that I didn’t feel I had much to say, and all the traveling has left me somewhat stunned and happily exhausted.

We are in the third month of playing alternating Wednesdays at Sweet Rhythm in New York with the big band. It has been a real learning experience! The repeated performances have enabled everyone to hone in on their parts and focus on blend. phrasing, and dynamics. We still have a way to go, but it is getting better every time. The band is really coming together, and we should be ready to make a nice recording at the Manchester Craftsmans Guild in a few weeks.

I’ve just returned from South Africa, and I must speak about this experience. The Yellowjackets played a concert at the Capetown International Jazz Festival, which wound up being a truly great performance for the band. The Capetown audience was one of the best we have ever played for. They really responded to the nuance in the music and were so vocally appreciative. We felt truly welcomed at the festival.

I was able to bring my wife and son along, and we stayed on for another week to experience South Africa. What an inspiring country! The fact that South Africa didn’t implode after the demise of Apartheid speaks volumes to the character of the people instrumental in making the change take place. While in Capetown we visited the jail on Robben Island, where political prisoners were kept during the dark days of Apartheid. A gentleman named Indres Naidoo showed us around the island. He had been in the prison there from 1963 to 1973 along with Nelson Mandella and many of the other founding members of the resistance movement. To hear first hand of the atrocities inflicted on the inmates of Robben island was both chilling and inspiring, considering these men stood their ground, and through peaceful means, managed to implement drastic change in the social and political system of South Africa. Indres later became a senator and currently heads the ANC chapter of Capetown.

Only 10 years ago South Africa had the apartheid system in place, where the colonialist powers controlled a majority of the land, most of the resources, and by far had most of the money. To speak out against the system was forbidden and punishable by a stiff jail sentence. In only ten years major changes have taken place. There is a long way to go, as was demonstrated by our visits to townships and witnessing the squatter’s camps. But the fact that change is in progress and the country hasn’t erupted in warfare is encouraging.

Hotep Galeta, a very fine pianist who lives in Capetown, was very gracious in taking us around Capetown to get a full view of the city. It is a beautiful city with majestic mountains, two oceans converging on a stunningly beautiful point, and a wide cross section of people from all over the world. We felt very welcomed there by everyone we met. It felt like a very inclusive place where all are welcome. Yet we saw even a more pronounced delineation between very rich and very poor than in the United States. The big corporations still rule supreme, I guess.

One of the musical highlights of the festival in Capetown was hearing the Dave Holland Quintet. Dave’s band has been playing together for some time now, and their playing really shows it. It was one of the best ensembles I’ve heard in jazz music. The writing, playing, and interactions between the musicians were truly superb. I urge you to go hear this band whenever you get the chance.

If you want a great glimpse at what it was like for the political prisoners during the apartheid regime in South Africa on Robbben Island, check out Indres Naidoo’s book “Island in Chains” published by Penguin Books.

See you down the road, I hope.