Guatemala Jazz Tour 2016
Thanks to the United States Department of State and The Jazz Drama Program, this was our third tour to Guatemala. What a privilege it was to visit this beautiful country and play for the amazing Guatemalan People! Joined by longtime friends and associates, LaFrae Sci, drums/compositions, Lakecia Benjamin, alto saxophone and Elias Bailey, bass, the […]
Posted in Arts Education, Cultural Diplomacy, Eli Yamin Jazz Quartet, Jazz education, The Jazz Drama Program Leave a comment
First Ever- Jazz Drama Program Summer Jazz Arts Institute
We did it! On July 1 and 2, we broke ground on the first ever Jazz Drama Program Summer Jazz Arts Institute. With my great colleagues LaFrae Sci, Tom Dempsey, Shireen Dickson, and Jeanie LoVetri we launched what we hope will be a vital charging station for imaginative education through jazz for years to […]
Posted in Arts Education, Jazz education, The Jazz Drama Program Leave a comment
Guatemala Jazz Festival 2015 – Final Day
The last day of the tour was my favorite because we visited and gave a workshop at La Alianza, a shelter for girls who are victims of trafficking and sexual violence. The place is run exceptionally well by a staff of extremely devoted and expert women who give these girls the support and shelter they […]
Guatemala Jazz Festival 2015 – Ambassador’s Residence
Back to Guatemala City now for a reception at the residence of U.S. Ambassador Todd Robinson. We could not ask for a more welcoming host. Ambassador Robinson hails from Newark, NJ, a jazz town once and forever. He truly believes in the power of jazz to uplift and unite everyone. He is also an idealist […]
Guatemala Jazz Festival 2015 – Coban
The second day of the tour we drove to Coban in central Guatemala. The city is surrounded by beautiful mountains and has a more country feel to it. Watch out for the chocolate soup before lunch~! I thought I was in heaven. In the afternoon we gave a workshop in a municipal building to students […]
Guatemala Jazz Festival 2015 – Concert in Guatemala City
Our first concert of the tour was at the auditorium at Instituto Guatemala Americano in Guatemala City. It was a pleasure to play the Baldwin grand on stage and interact with the audience who engaged deeply with us. Our program included songs from our recent CD, “Louie’s Dream, for our jazz heroes.” We played the […]
Guatemala Jazz Festival 2015 – workshop Universidad de San Carlos de Guatemala
It was wonderful to return to Guatemala, this time with quartet and LaFrae Sci on drums (she and I were there in 2011 with the Blues Band), Evan Christopher on clarinet and Paul Beaudry on bass. The first day we gave a workshop at Universidad de San Carlos de Guatemala, got to know the wonderful […]
What can I say to the parents of children who want to be professional musicians?
Mom: “Eli, my son loves music and says he wants to be a musician. Can you pleeeese convince him out of it?” Eli: Young man, you must ALWAYS play music. The music you make brings beauty and positive spirit to the world. And goodness knows, we need more of it. Choosing a career in music is […]
Connect With Eli
