Seems like everywhere we go in Chile people like fish!
So do we and Fishin’ Blues is perfect for the occasion. The message of the song is “many fish bite if you’ve got good bait.” We love singing this song as much as we love PESCADO FRITO!
Here are two clips from Southern Chile. The first is a performance live on the radio in Chillan and the second is from concert performance at the library in Curico.
Bob Stewart in Curico
Curico was also hit hard by the Earthquake. We can only imagine how unsettling this is to the residents here.
Cracked wall in Curio
Crumbled roof in Curico
Church in Curico
After taking this all in we arrived at the Library where our concert was to take place. Next door to the library was a building full of music…
Fundacion de Orquestas Juveniles, Curico, Chile
We were surprised to find students in the First Lady of Chile’s Program, Fundacion de Orquestas Juvenile. Modeled after El Sistema in Venezuela, young people all over the county are studying strings. We were especially touched when the students came by our soundcheck to play us a couple of songs including a soul stirring Chilean folk song. Here’s a clip of these amazing young people. The importance of their music making in the wake of the earthquake couldn’t be more clear…
Talca, Chile, hardest hit by Earthquake of 2010
Talca, Chile May 2010
Talca, Chile May 2010
We arrived here Wednesday and saw many devastated buildings. The only place the concert could be held was in an art gallery. The gallery was gorgeous, decked out with super-fine works of art both modern and classic. Again, Chileans blew us away with their resilience. Life is incredibly vibrant here. And the will of the people is strong. The concert was a circle of strength and joy in our community together in music!
Kate demonstrates kazoo in Talca
Talcans blowing the blues away!
Eli sharing the blues with Mical Marchant, a talented student from Universidad Autonoma.
Talca Audience
Jennifer Viau and Sandra Perroni, our great support team from the U.S. Embassy in Santiago
Hold up your hammer, it is time to build again!
Eli Yamin Blues Banner in Talca, Chile
Pablo Neruda's House, Santiago
Arrived in Chile last Saturday. Had a day to visit Pablo Neruda’s house in Santiago then headed South to the area hardest hit by the Earthquake in late February. We have been blown away by the warmth of the people down here. Chileans LOVE the BLUES!
Eli Yamin at Municipalidad de Chillan, Our concert was the first since the earthquake. Over 400 people turned out. Hats off to the resilience of Chileans!
LaFrae Sci at Municipalidad de Chillan
Audience in Chillan at Municipalidad de Chillan
Eli after concert with piano student
Brazil is soul mix. Mix of sound, culture, rhythms, melodies, messages, demands, divides, reunites. The inner smile of Brazilian music and outer smile of Brazilan people moves me, makes me remember what’s good. Thank-you Brazil. I want to see you again. Again and again. Yours in song, Eli.
HEALING SONG, from the jazz musical, Message From Saturn
by Eli Yamin and Clifford Carlson
Portuguese translation by Edvaldo Amorim
“It’s not just a song for me
Take a breath and you will see
Why the blues has the power to be
A healing song, a healing song.”
“Não é só uma canção prá mim
Respire e você vai ver
Porque o Blues tem o poder de ser
Uma canção… que nos cura.”
Eli Yamin Blues Band Press Conference in Manaus, Brazil
We arrived in Manaus to a press conference in the airport and what do you know, these reporters were prepared with good questions. I’ll scan the articles when I can. Thing is, you’ll need to read Portuguese to understand them. We love the headline, “O JAZZ COMO PODER DE CURA.” “Jazz is able to be a cure.”
We played 2 concerts and gave 2 workshops at the ICBEU center. We also took a boat trip into the Amazon. What an extraordinary place!
Eli Yamin Blues Band in the Amazon
King of Amazon
We made new friends at ICBEU including Tiago and Paoula, who I invited along with a guitarist to help us teach the audience “Freight Train” by Elizabeth Cotten. This is the song that got in my bones when I was a child, and never left. It’s why I’m here today. Hats off to Elizabeth Cotten. You have literally taken me around the world!
Eli Yamin Blues Band at ICBEU in Manaus with Tiago and Paula
Eli Yamin and friends teach the audience "Freight Train" in Manaus, Brazil
As the concert picked up the pace, we were so knocked when our friend “Hoochie” and others started dancing…
Audience dancing in Manaus
Eli Yamin Blues Band in Manaus, Brazil
We could not have wished for a better send off from Brazil. We sure will miss this place. Many thanks to everyone who supported our workshops, concerts and traveling including Mercia Preto, Cultural Coordinator at ICBEU, Manaus, Conradu Blasi, Cultural Affairs Assistant and Tara Rougle, Public Affairs Officer, U.S. Embassy, Brasilia.
Eli Yamin and Mercia Preto, Cultural Coordinator ICBEU, Manaus, Brazil
Eli Yamin Blues Band with Tara Rougle, U.S. Embassy
LaFrae Sci, Eli Yamin and Belem Blues Crew
Belem is a music town! There are multiple symphonic orchestras and a jazz orchestra here. We did 2 concerts and a workshop. We got an up close introduction to the mystical world of Carimbo and visited old churches, a fort, an open air market and had killer seafood. Seems like everywhere we go, the Fishin’ Blues makes a whole lot of sense. Like the song says, “Many fish bite if you got good bait…
Fishing Boats in Belem, Brazil
Shrimp in market, Belem, Brazil
Belem is where the Amazon River begins…
LaFrae Sci and Eli Yamin at the mouth of the Amazon
A cultural producer Nery and his wife Rita introduced me to many artistic treasures of Belem including a historical theatre, one of the city’s symphonic orchestras and it’s director, Leonardo, who is one hell of a piano player and composer. We had a good time jammin’ in the Salo dos Pianos…
Producer Fercy Nery and Rita, anthropologist
Orchestra of Belem rehearsing
Leonardo and Eli Yamin
Leonardo and Eli Yamin at the keyboard in Salo dos Pianos
When it came time for the workshop, we couldn’t wait to meet the musicians who would turn up. We heard the town of Belem has a 40-piece jazz orchestra. For sure, it was a room full of serious musicians ready to play! There were also great enthusiasts from many backgrounds including actors, writers, singers, dancers and children. Kate McGarry got everyone singing the blues!
Once everyone got that blues feeling, Bob Stewart got them playing the harmony of the blues. Armed with the hands-on lesson from LaFrae on the shuffle and feeling the doo-dle-laa, everyone got a chance to solo. Thanks to Jazz at Lincoln Center for providing all the kazoos!
Kazoo solos all around
Kazoos keep coming
Kazoos are you!
We heard from all the jazz cats too!
Belem Jazz Cats at Eli Yamin Blues Band Workshop, Belem, Brazil
Then Olivia and her crew gave us a taste of Carimbo, a traditional form of music/dance from the Belem region. In the evening, she was in full dress…
Eli Yamin and Olivia
Carimbo warmup at Eli Yamin Blues Band Workshop
Olivia and her Carimbo ensemble
It was a magnificent time for all of us and we will forever hold Belem, Brazil close to our hearts. Thanks to Danielle and all our friends at CCBEU for organizing the events. Welcome Conradu Blasi from the Embassy in Brasilia and Monak from Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York. We are so happy to have you with us and feel your great support!
Thanks to all the great musicians and artists who came out to the workshop and concerts. We had a blast playing for you and with you and know we will be together again soon. Keep swinging and singing the blues!
Monak Chhun and Conradu Blasi join the tour.
LaFrae Sci and young listeners
Bob Stewart and Belem jazz cats
Eli Yamin and Belem saxophonist Adriel
Visual assessment on The Eli Yamin Blues Band, "how I felt before and after the concert"
Eli Yamin gives saxophonist Netu some things to listen to...
Eli Yamin plays UNIFOR, University in Fortaleza, Brazil
What a piano! It’s amazing how the possibilities open with a fine Steinway instrument at my fingertips. We opened the concert with our new arrangement of the spiritual, “Trouble of the World.” After hearing this arrangement, one person observed, “Now I know where John Coltrane and those guys were coming from!” It’s true, African American Spirituals have been a well of inspiration for generations and continue to inspire us on the Rhythm Road.
In the workshop, participants hummed call and response with Kate McGarry as she evoked lessons she learned from her great teacher/mentor, Dr. Horace Boyer. Dr. Boyer dedicated his life to teaching the repertoire and performance practices of African American Spirituals. The hymnal he put together is used worldwide. It’s called Lift Every Voice and Sing and is published by The Church Pension Fund (ISBN: 978-0-89869-194-8).
Kate McGarry evokes the memory of Dr. Horace Boyer
Once again LaFrae Sci evoked the rhythm of the blues…The shuffle is the heartbeat…
LaFrae has been documenting her experiences with us on the Rhythm Road on LaFrae\’s Blog
Then Bob got the harmony in the mix and tapped those not playing instruments to fill in 3 parts. Here’s a taste of how that went…
At the workshop we were also knocked out by 17-year old Brenna on cavaquinho, a guitar like instrument, and her friend Clayuton on flute. Our hearts melted when we heard them play this sweet choro called “Receita de Samba.”
With a sound like that, we were so happy to welcome Brenna and Clayuton to play with us at our evening concert. It was wonderful to have them play this piece joined by LaFrae on shaker. After that they sat in with us on “I Feel So Glad” by Hop Wilson. Brenna sure got some bluesy chords out of her cavaquinho and Clayuton took a heck of a blues flute solo!
Clayuton, LaFrae Sci and Brenna play "Receita de Samba," in concert at UNIFOR, Fortaleza, Brazil
Bob got the audience terrifically involved in the traditional “John Henry.”
Bob Stewart insist the audience make a full sound with their "hammer."
Next we presented our new lyrics and arrangement of my composition, “Rwandan Child.” It is dedicated to the wisdom and safety of children all over the world. We also played our new arrangement of Billy Taylor’s classic, “I Wish I Knew How It Feels To Be Free.” Billy Taylor is one of the pioneer jazz ambassadors and paved the way for artists like us to teach and play all over the world. For me, this song will always pay tribute to Dr. Taylor’s great legacy of positivity, overcoming obstacles and insistence on the jazz language being spoken, understood and appreciated by people all over the U.S. and throughout the world.
Pianist/Educator/Jazz Ambassador Billy Taylor, composer of "I Wish I Knew How It Feels To Be Free"
We closed the concert with Night Time Is the Right Time, made famous by Ray Charles, and “Healing Song” by myself and Clifford Carlson. By now we are accustomed to having audiences sing with us in both English and Portugese…
HEALING SONG by
Eli Yamin and Clifford Carlson
Portuguese translation by Edvaldo Amorim
“It’s not just a song for me
Take a breath and you will see
Why the blues has the power to be
A healing song, a healing song.”
“Não é só uma canção prá mim
Respire e você vai ver
Porque o Blues tem o poder de ser
Uma canção… que nos cura.”
One person at the workshop said, “I don’t sing, I don’t play an instrument. But the atmosphere you created with the blues drew me in so I felt comfortable joining in. It touched my soul!”
We could not have connected so deeply with the people of the North East of Brazil without the great expertise of Edvaldo Amorim, Cultural Affairs Specialist from the U.S. Consulate in Recife, Brazil. He served as road manager, interpreter and a host of other duties. Thanks a million Edvaldo, we love you madly!
Edvaldo Amorim, Cultural Affairs Specialist, U.S. Consulate, Recife, Brazil
It was a fantastic first week on the Rhythm Road. Many thanks to all our great support team at the Consulates, in Washington and at Jazz at Lincoln Center. We look forward to new discoveries and new friends in Belem and Manaus here in Brazil and then Chile later this month. Thanks for joining us on the Rhythm Road. Please do reflect on what you’ve seen here. We would love to hear what you think!
Eli Yamin with guest musicians Brenna and Clayuton
Eli Yamin and Kate McGarry in Fortaleza, Brazil
Teacher-Marivaldo, LaFrae Sci, Jorge Martins-director of Corpos Percussivos and students
Last night was an amazing experience. We performed for students, diplomats and friends of the American Bi-National Center in Recife. This is a place that teaches classes in English. Of course, we saw it as the perfect opportunity to invite the Maracatou kids from Corpos Percussivos. We were so knocked out to perform two songs with them in the concert: Billie’s Bounce by Charlie Parker and the traditional John Henry. John Henry was through the roof. I don’t think we’ll ever again to perform that song without the power of the Maracatou!
Drums of Maracatou
Eli Yamin Blues Band performs with Maracatou from Corpos Percussivos
Eli Yamin performs at ABA, Recife
Student from Corpos Percussivos
Student practicing with gift from drummer LaFrae Sci
Eli Yamin Blues Band and Corpos Percussivos at ABA, Recife
Speaking of community. At the Conservatory we learned of a benefit for a beloved bassist in the community organized by his son. The club was packed with folks pitching in for the cause. LaFrae and I were honored to take part and sat in with the band on “I Feel So Glad” by Hop Wilson and “Caldonia” by Louis Jordan. Once again we got to experience how the blues is spoken in ALL languages.
Eli Yamin and LaFrae Sci sittin' in, Recife
The Blues is a healing song in all languages
At the end of the night around 1 am, we were amazed by a string of singers who came up one after another and floored us with exquisite Bossa Nova songs.
