Greetings. Hope your summer is going well. I would like to spend the majority of this piece on the visit we made to South Africa. It was a moving and enlightening endeavor, one that I would like to share with you.

We as musicians have the great privilege of being able to travel to far away places and really get inside various cultures through association with local musicians (as was the case with this visit), local fans, and all of the folks connected with the production of the musical events. It is generally a wonderful window into what’s really going on in the country at hand, and I always learn quite a lot.

This time around I was asked to rehearse a big band of musicians from Johannesburg, and do two concerts at the resort called Sun City. This was a groundbreaking event on many levels. Firstly, a New York musician had never before led a racially mixed big band of local musicians. Secondly, Sun City had never hosted any sort of jazz event before, and this bodes well for the jazz scene in South Africa. Oupa Salamane and his Jazz Foundation of South Africa did a splendid job organizing this concert. There were 2,300 people in attendance at Sun City, a place where people generally go to gamble.

During the three days of rehearsal I got to know the musicians in the band fairly well. Many of them, albeit accomplished jazz soloists, had never had any sort of formal training in a music conservatory before. The apartheid system, which only ended 10 years ago, was not very big on music education (much less education at all) for the black community. Hence we worked quite hard on the ensemble playing in my arrangements, which utilize my own brand of syncopated, psycho-funk, swing-out, latined-out, looking simple at first glance but deceptively tricky writing. The folks in the band were so gracious and cooperative. By the time we got to the final concert the band sounded great! Everyone enjoyed the concert immensely. I was honored to be able to play music I had written with this wonderful group of musicians. The South African vibe was all over the music, and what may have been lacking in the kind of phrasing and ensemble I am normally accustomed to hearing in NYC (the best place in the world for this type of thing) was far surpassed by the feel and heart in the playing. One of the alto players in the band, Barney Rachabane had toured with the Paul Simon Graceland band. One of the trumpet players named Manana had taught Hugh Masekella. The guitarist, Bekki Kossa, and I hooked up to play a duet on the concert that felt great. To hang with these folks, hear their tales, and make music with them was quite an experience. They definitely added new perspective and gratitude to my way of thinking as it pertains to music and life in general.

To hear the stories of abuse towards blacks, musicians, and jazz music (which was essentially banned during apartheid) first hand was both heart wrenching and inspiring. To think that this country has not erupted in total chaos and rebellion is truly amazing, given the circumstances. Thanks to the great Nelson Mandela and his followers there is a lot of hope in South Africa.

I think what has to happen next in South Africa is that the international community needs to get in there and share their expertise as it pertains to teaching and setting up schools to train prospective teachers. This is most apparent in the music, and specifically jazz field. Jazz has become an international language, which incorporates elements from virtually every country in some way. It is a force that brings the world together and serves as a vehicle for the self expression and enlightenment of our young people. There is already a thriving jazz education scene in Capetown, and even an IAJE chapter down there. I would like to see this expand to the rest of South Africa. Jazz is revered in South Africa, and it is only fitting that the young musicians have a forum for being educated on a par with the rest of the world.

Our brother Michael Brecker is ill with a blood disease called MDS. He is responding to the treatment, which is a good thing. However, this illness is quite serious and requires that he undergo a stem-cell transplant. For whatever the reason, the doctors are having a hard time finding a suitable donor. If you might want to explore becoming a potential donor, please visit info@michaelbrecker.com. We are all praying for Mike. He is one of the truly great human beings, musicians, and a dear friend.

I recently read a wonderful book by George Orwell called Down and out in Paris and London. It is a book, which explores the dark side of scraping by, being homeless, and living day-to-day interspersed with Orwell’s take on the various class differences in society. There are many parallels between the characters in the book and what I experienced in my early days on the road, living from job to job and not having a steady income. I also identified with the character’s plight of traveling from shelter to shelter (something like being on the road as a musician) and encountering all kinds of characters along the way.

I recently received a mechanical license from Sony BMG that suggests they will be reissuing the Twin Tenors CD as downloadable separate tracks. Will keep you informed. [WEBMASTER NOTE: Chances are it will show up on Sony/BMG's Connect service online before it does on other sites ... just a hunch.]

Thanks for visiting the site. Whatever your passion, keep at it, and keep the faith!