Jazz

My Romania Jazz Diary

For the past two years, I have served as guest artist/faculty for the Romanian Jazz Education Summit held in Jupanesti, Romania. This forum is co-sponsored by the Fulbright Commission, the International Association for Jazz Education, and Tibiscus University (Timisoara, Romania). Students and educators from around the country come to attend this workshop.

The Jazz Summit is a week-long intensive study of Jazz performance and pedagogical issues. The guest artist/faculty roster is composed of several outstanding musicians/educators from around the world.

Tom Smith, trombone, Co-Director, Senior Fulbright Professor, MI-USA
Johnny Bota, Co-Director, Timisoara, Romania
Rick Condit, saxophone, Senior Fulbright Professor, LA-USA
Florence Melnotte, piano, Geneva, Switzerland
Brian Torff, bass, NY-USA
Karen Gallinger, voice, CA-USA
Tom Wolfe, guitar, AL-USA
Ion Minda, drums, Austria
Eldad Tarmu, vibraphone, Timisoara, Romania
Paul De Castro, piano/Afro-Latin music, CA-USA

I have been so fortunate to be a part of this program. The students and faculty were all a joy to work with and who have become my friends in this endeavor. I would also like to express my thanks to the University of Alabama, the College of Arts & Sciences, the Arts & Sciences Leadership Board, and my colleagues at the UA School of Music for their continued support, for without such support, my travels would not have been possible.

Below I've included some of the pictures from the past two years. I hope you enjoy them as much as I have enjoyed my experiences in Romania. You can also read some articles about the summit here. More to come later......

The chalet at the camp, or maybe better referred to as a retreat, where the faculty stayed. The property itself is a smaller residence that was renovated by Tibiscus University to host seminars such as the Jazz Education Summit. It is situated in the foothills of the Carpathian Mountains in the small village of Jupanesti - about 2 hours drive from Timisoara. What a beautiful area to learn about Jazz!

A view from atop a hill above the retreat area - it is so serene. And the night skies are just filled with stars. The purpose for the great distance from Timisoara was to give us an isolated area enabling the students the opportunity to focus on Jazz without any distractions.

The spartan atmosphere creates a great environment for teaching, learning and performing. There are several areas that are used to work with the students. The 'mess hall' serves double-duty for eating and masterclasses. Here's Rick Condit teaching a class on the jazz lineage of the saxophone.

This room became the common room during the soccer World Cup Championship. They brought in a television so that we could watch the final matches. Just another way to build friendships with our Romanian peers!

In the middle of the yard is a concrete patio that was specifically built for the Jazz Summit. Currently the patio does not have a roof, so a tent was used to provide shade.

Also included on the property is a gazebo that offered smaller, yet shady areas for working with the students.

What may look like a challenging atmosphere to work in, couldn't have been more on the mark. Students and faculty alike all jumped right in to work and make the most of the time we had at this retreat. Here is the small combo I coached last year. The talent I have encountered these past two years is very high and it is a real joy to work these young students.

To finish the camp, we put on a final concert at the arts high school in Timisoara. We feature a big band, and several combos. Here we are at the sound check. Due to instrumentation, we re-adjusted the ensemble to fit the jazz ensemble instrumentation. I even played the 2nd trumpet part in the ensemble! Anything we can do to introduce them to the repertoire.

While in Romania, I also performed at a couple of festivals: American Music Days in Sibiu and the Garana International Jazz Festival in Garana. Sibiu is in Transylvania - just beautiful architecture. Here is a view from one of the towers in the Protestant Church in Sibiu. The style of the houses leads the people in the area to say that the houses have 'eyes.' Look at the roof-tops in the lower-left.

If you follow the link to the American Music Days festival, there is a photo gallery of Thalia Hall where I performed and stayed - here is a link to one of the photos. And also a link to the musician's point of view from the stage. The festival organizers put me up in an apartment in the Philharmonic Hall. Here is the lobby of the hall - the stairs lead to the apartments. When you follow the link to the American Music Festival, you will also see the concert poster for the series on the main page and here is a link to the concert announcement. If you take out your magnifying glass, you'll see my group listed under the Concert de Jazz section...

Garana is in the mountains about 3.5 hours from Timisoara. The nearest city is Resita. The view is spectacular. Here is the inn that we stayed at while at the festival.

Here are a couple of pictures of our performance at the jazz festival in Garana. Being in the mountains, it got very cold - in the low 40's. We performed around 2am. Talk about the jazz musician's schedule.... From left to right are myself, Florence Melnotte (piano), Tom Smith (trombone), Iuon Minda (drums), Rick Condit (saxophone), and Brian Torff (bass).

I'm freezing, but having fun....

Some more fun photos....

Just before we start our first masterclass.

Lunch-time!

I'm working with the rhythm section under the tent...

Here is a sample of our breakfast each day. The vegatables, eggs and other food were all fresh and just delicious.

They also prepared a soup called Ciorba, served as a first-course at lunch.

Our rooms - very nice. Being in the foothills of the Carpathians, the evenings would get nice and cool and be very comfortable.

During the last night of the summit, local musicians and dancers came and performed for us.

While in Timisoara, I had the opportunity to explore on a day between travels. Here is the orthodox church located on one of the city squares.

Here is the view from inside - quite incredible.

Here is a close-up of the icon paintings on the front of the church.

The architecture is so inspiring. I especially find myself attracted to the different churches in the area.

Yet another view of one of the local churches.

The history is incredibly rich. In Sibiu, the old fortress walls (hundreds of years old) are still standing and offer a look into the past of this culture.

My good friend, Johnny Bota, and I (posing with Bob the Duck...) at the Garana International Jazz Festival

At the end of each day of the Jazz Summit, we would hold a jam session or faculty recital. Here, Rick Condit and I are performing (actually listening at this point...) after a great day of jazz study.

Here's a picture of the 'gang' after the final concert this past July.

My guitar buddies - all great players and a true pleasure to work with.

More to come....

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