December, 2006
Dec. 1
Today there was an 11am workshop at the University of Pristina. We were in the same room where Agora gave a workshop last February. There we saw many familiar faces from our last visit and many new strictly classical musicians. They were open to our very interactive way of teaching, but much more timid than our students in Macedonia. Scott and I felt a little off today. It was difficult to access the students level without having any information about their expectations or level of study. In the end, there were certainly a few people who really enjoyed our demonstration. Still, we were motivated to do more research and to fine-tune the lecture aspects of our class. We are opening the discussion to the roots of the music and the similarities in outcomes when combining complimentary musical ingredients in different regions. It was the New Orleans environment of integration, free spirit, and multiculturalism that help to create jazz in the first place. Now that spirit certainly continues in jazz, in the music scene in NYC, and Scott and I are living examples of that. We are now doing our best to share this democratic perspective with others.
We had a quick lunch with Laura and Aferdita, then had time to ourselves before a soundcheck at the local Jazz Club 212. There we rehearsed with local musicians Arian Randobrava (sax) and Vissar Kuchi (bass).
We taught them a few songs that we planned to play in our big concert tomorrow night. Tonight we had the opportunity to jam together in a formal Jam Session setting. The Jam session turned out to be more like a gig. We played standards and the guys sounded great. It was actually a lot of fun to play these tunes with new guys in a smokey club in Prishtina. It’s amazing how much these guys love jazz music and how much they know. Finally in the second set some other musicians took over for Scott and I and we enjoyed the hang for a little while.
When hanging out with the people of Kosovo it’s impossible not to talk about the conflict, about the hardships, and about the lack of resolution, still after 7 years. Mostly this makes me feel fortunate, for my health, my loved ones, and for the simple fact that I didn’t spend the formative years of my life living in a war-zone. Everyone that I meet from my generation has suffered or continues to suffer as a result of the war. What is most amazing to me is how they tell their stories with such “matter of fact” simplicity. How they were forced to flee, how they lived for five days on the side of the road outside of Macedonia, as refugees, without food and water, while NATO started a bombing campaign that would eventually end an ethnic cleansing. Even worse are the graphic stories of the mercenary armies made of hardened criminals from Russia and elsewhere, hired by Melosovich to brutally “police” the Albanians in Kosovo. These soldiers committed crimes, not only against Albanians, but also the Serbians they were hired to favor. It is a picture of a desperate, inhumane situation that these strong people own as their story. Here, these fascinating, violent, and foreign stories, coming from people that seem so much like me. With similar age, similar dreams, and similar loves. Of course, thanks to Bill Clinton, every Albanian that we met loves America. This and a fast growing westernization made us feel, however awkwardly, right at home. We even spent an hour at the brand new shopping mall. Still, the chic cafes, the diesel outlets, and the discotheques leave me slightly unsettled. Is this a mask? Is this a distraction, or a temporary band-aid for the most recent wound in an endless series of dysfunction? As I dig deeper to find the soul of the Balkans, it is saddening to find no way around the centuries of hatred and war. The bitterness is palpable and the question remains. Is it possible for Kosovo to maintain its identity, its culture, its music, its art, without clinging to the bitterness and hatred that comes with centuries of war and prejudice? Is it easier to just become…American?
Dec. 2
Today, at our request, we made an effort to organize a follow-up workshop in the Serbian community of Gracanica. Unfortunately, with little time to promote, there was no turnout. We later learned that our inability to reach out to the Serbian community had more political roots. Tensions have escalated since our visit in February, with Kosovo still lacking a status in the world. It’s now in a transitional place of UN run province, fresh out of a horrific and oppressive war, trying to forgive, forget and move on. It’s impossible to understand its complexity in a few days. Still, one of the largest issues for Kosovo to gain its independence regards minority rights. The Serbian Civilian community now lives in fear of vengeful, unfocused attacks and prejudice. There are serious issue regarding the guarantee of their rights and protection. With the status of Kosovo still under negotiations every community outreach carries some new political weight. Unfortunately the honest efforts of our program were suddenly caught in bureaucracy.
Tonight we had a very successful show at the ODA theatre in Pristina. This is a smaller room in the same building where Agora played last year. A great space that fits just over 100 people, the space is used for all types of cultural events including, music, cinema, and drama. We were being filmed for a live segment on local television.
Our show was mostly duo, with the excellent contributions of Vissar and Arian towards the end of the set. Scott and I really got to some nice places with the music and I felt like this was our best performance yet. I was especially happy with the enthusiastic sing-along at the end of our set. After the show, we did a couple of interviews for local news, grabbed a bite to eat with Aferdita and Laura, and crashed after a long day.
Dec. 3
Ahhhh. A much needed rest day! I slept late and felt great when I woke up. Scott and I went out for a little lunch and after some failed attempts at something better, settled on another meat sandwich. In the afternoon Larry came to pick us up and took us to the “brand new shopping mall!!!” Somehow he got the message that we wanted to shop and this is where we ended up. Luckily we only stayed for about 20 minutes and escaped without spending a dime. It was a slightly scary Western scene. I felt like I was at Macys. From there we met with Arian for a coffee (this is a big thing to do in Kosovo). Then went back to the hotel for a rest. Every conversation leads to the inevitable discussion of ethnicity and war. It can become exhausting.
Tonight we met Larry at the ODA theater for the debut of a 6 locally produced documentary shorts on Kosovo and the conflict. Seeing these films really helped me to tie a lot of things together. They exposed many of the gray areas of the war including the Serbian protests and rejection of Meloshovich in Belgrade. The films exposed me to new perspectives and left me full of questions. Lucky for my curiosity, this is subject is fresh on the mind of everyone living here. Scott and I stuck around at the theatre bar where we talked with the producer, some local filmmakers, and Larry. Tonight we also met Shqipe, an architect with an amazing spirit and attitude who shared many enlightening personal accounts from the war. Stories too sad and graphic to tell here. By the end of the night, Scott and I are exhausted from stories of war.
Dec. 5th
Fresh from our day of rest, it was back to work this morning, with another workshop in the Serbian community of North Mitrovica. Since the NATO bombings Mitrovica has become intensely segregated with the Albanians inhabiting the south and across the bridge, the Serbians fleeing to the North.
Here the Serbians live in a kind of autonomy, using Serbians curriculum and currency. There, close to the border of Serbia, they feel safe and protected. Again, we get a closer look at the tensions in Kosovo. Especially here in this autonomous Serbian community, Anti-American sentiments run high. We arrived at the site escorted to the site by 2 armed security officers in an armored vehicle. Once there we learned that our workshop would be delayed and that we would not reach as many students as planned. Again, for purely political reasons, the students from the Serbian high school were not allowed to participate in this U.S. sponsored educational program. It’s extremely frustrating to see this type of politics limit a child’s exposure to foreign cultures. Here we are bringing something so positive, pure, and free from politics, but they are not allowed to experience the music because of our sponsors. “Welcome to Kosovo” said our Serbian interpreter.
Soon the workshop concluded, with about 10 semi-professional musicians coming on their own accord. It felt great to actually work with them and we found ourselves especially inspired to talk about the spirit of expression in our music. We tried to encourage these musicians to tell their stories and to use the influence of their environment to shape their own personal musical statement. In the end, I think we made some new friends.
Back in Prishtina, we went to a museum of Kosovo culture. It was great to see some of the more artistic and positive aspects of Kosovo life and times. Here we saw native instruments, traditional dress, superstitions and practices. The director of the museum was so extremely kind as to guide us through the entire exhibit him-self. From there, we met again with Arian. We spent some time with him at his house listening to music and checking out and amazing Art Blakey video from 1984 at Ronnie Scotts. Wow, what an inspiration to see the power of this great artist after so many years of honing his craft. We decided to get together one last time with some of the musicians and friends that we made during our stay. We returned to the jazz club 212 for drinks and to say our goodbyes.
Tomorrow we leave for Skopje and then it’s on to Greece.
Dec. 6
We left Macedonia early and rode in a car for 3 hours to Thessaloniki. There we waited at the airport for a few hours before catching a plane to Athens. Not sure if I’ve mentioned this before, but another great thing about being a guitar player is that you can actually practice in the airport. OK, of course you get the occasional guy who wants to show you what “he” can do, but all in all it’s a very positive thing. Anyway, we arrived in Athens with a huge smiles and excitement. With much warmer weather and meetings with old friends to look forward too. We checked into our hotel (no, not the Grande Bretagne, but it was still very nice), and soon took a cab to Chad Thornberry’s house where we had a great home cooked meal with he and his wife Sarah. They were kind enough to let me do my laundry and share their dessert wines. I tried to go out for a little while afterwards, but was just feeling a little to worn out to make it stick.
Dec. 7
We left to hotel to load in and soundcheck at the HAU. There the sound guys were not really prepared for us, but still it didn’t take long to get things up and running. During the afternoon, we spent a couple of hours with Chad at the US Embassy doing a pod cast. It has been so great to see Chad again.
He is an amazing guy and very sincere in his appreciation of our music. From there we had a little down time before the show.
There, we had a great turnout, with lots of people coming again from back in February. Ira and everyone treated us so well and after the show we went out for a great Italian dinner. In spite of a few technical difficulties, we had a really great show and many people stuck around afterwards to show us some love.
Dec. 8th
Up at 6am to catch a ride to the airport, today was not nearly as brutal as it looked on paper. Today we traveled from Athens to Corfu, did a workshop, a rehearsal, and a concert. Whew…Still, somehow, I managed to take a long walk to the top of the lighthouse. Finally, a truly beautiful day came our way and I made the most of it. I was taking a nap on the edge of a battle fort, listening to the birds, and feeling the sun on my face.
Tonight we played the best show yet for this project. From the beginning we were so much more relaxed than ever before. We were really able to hook up with the loops and use them in a very musical way.
We did some brainstorming about the previous nights gig and I think that talk really paid off. We featured Dimos on a few tunes and that really helped things get to a higher lever. He sounds great. I hope this is a new benchmark for us. Now, I’m really happy that we have a few more gigs to look forward too in Istanbul.
Dec. 9th
Scott and I decided to rent some scooters and explore the Island. We drove north and up through the mountains. Corfu is a huge island that becomes all but deserted in the off season. I can only imagine how amazing it must be on the Greek Islands in the summer. We found some great off-roads and some amazing views from the hilltops. We rode all day, made it back safe, and had a great time.
Back in the city of Corfu we had promised to meet with any interested students from the previous days workshop. To our surprise, they all showed up and Scott and I split off between the drummers and other instruments. We hung out for about 2 hours answering questions and sharing insights on music. It’s really amazing to be on the other side of this exchange that I’ve had so many times. It really makes me feel like a part of a circle and connected through music. Working with these talented and focused students was truly inspiring. Afterwards we had another great Italian meal with Dimos, his wife, and the Ionian University’s Arts Coordinator Georgia. They are all wonderful and we especially enjoyed spending time with Dimos again. He is a great guy and a great musician. I’m looking forward to hanging with him in NYC, when he comes to teach at the New School on a Fullbright Scholarship in March.
Dec. 10th
We spent 90% of our day in the Airport. We flew from Corfu to Athens, then had a 5 hour layover before we could fly to Istanbul on a different airline. I spent the time working on a tune by my bandmate Brian Mulholland. “The Shortest Way” is a really amazing piece with a lot of harmonic things that I don’t usually deal with. We played the tune last year without much success. When we get together next week, I want to have another shot at it. In Istanbul all went according to the plan. We were picked up by a representative from Nardis Jazz Club and taken to our hotel. We walked around in Taxim, grabbed a quick dinner and crashed. I’m hoping that I can sleep off this little cold I have…
Dec. 11th
We’ll the cold kicked in with a bullet. I’m suffering a little, but still I’m in Istanbul. Right away Scott and I went to the famous Istanbul Cymbal Factory.
It was really amazing to see how about 10 guys bang out all the Istanbul Cymbals that go all over the world. They only make about 200 a day.
We walked around in Taxim for a little while and made plans to rendevous with Solomon.
By chance, he is in Istanbul for a month long gig playing 6 nights a week in a posh hotel. Monday is his night off, so he agreed to sit in on our first gig at Nardis Jazz Club. The club is really amazing. Onder (a jazz guitarist) and his wife run the place. They really love jazz music and were there to support our show. They fed us a great meal form the menu and we had a great 2 sets of music.
Solomon brought the house down when he sang “Tenderly.” Very Nice…
Dec. 12th
Today was a little cold and rainy, but of course we went exploring. Taxim is an amazing area, with tons of shops, including a whole street with nothing but music stores. I walked all up and down the central area, stopping in stores and coffee shops, and making the best of the dull weather. Tonight the club has paired us with a great Trumpet player named Imer.
It turned out that this guy is really amazing. We quickly put together a set list and rehearsed what needed to be. In the end, we had one of the best nights of music from our tour.
Dec. 13th
A last minute master class came through, with the support of the American Embassy. Our old friend Sevil picked us up from the hotel and escorted us on the 2 hour drive to Kocaeli. There, we worked with a great group of young guitarists.
This was another great teaching experience for me and inspired me even more in this direction. The students were so excited about the music. At the end of the workshop they really didn’t want us to leave and it was hard too.
I would really like to do more extensive residency type work and have 2 weeks to a month in one place. I hope to be back in Kocaeli with these students again soon.
Back in Istanbul, the club had paired us with another special guest. Tonight we featured a great young pianist named Borak. This guy is a great player with tons of chops and great ideas. Of course it’s always a little difficult with a piano and guitar on the bandstand, but we were good about laying out for each other and we had a good night. When it was all said and done, we had a great 3 nights at Nardis and created a new friendship that I hope will last throughout the years. Everyone at the club treated us so well and really seemed to enjoy our sets. I think we will be back soon.
