by yoni » Mon Apr 18, 2005 9:23 pm
Hi all!
I've got my daughters with me for a few days now, we're having a great time. They're sleeping now and I had a chance to write...
Happy to report things are busier than ever musically for me. Several gigs in a wide range of music and am getting much "kavod" (honor) after some 30 years of performing now. In a few days I'll be playing the "Boombamela" festival where I'm slated to be the "inviting artist" of the ethnic music stage. Many super players from Israel, other Mid Eastern countries and beyond will be joining. All kinds of ethnic groups, from African to Flamenco, other Latin, Indian, Mid East and more... highly arranged music to improvised jams. I look forward to playing there with many, including super-virtuoso violinist and oudist Amin, from Jaffa. We've jammed much recently to some stunned crowds. Yossi Jumbush, another monster player, should also be giving it all he's got on guitar and jumbush. There should be a wealth of fine percussionists of many types, and I'm expected to be blazing away with my double trouble... (the double-stroke, one of my modes of travel on darbuka and conga, has earned me here a nickname: "Abu Kaful" ("Father Multiple"). No one else seems to be doing it on darbuka yet; this may change soon as more and more players ask "How the **** do you do that?"
I love these festivals because one meets so many musicians and can apply many types of drums to many types of music, which goes literally non-stop for 4 days. Also many fine muchachas afoot. The festival is right on the beach so it's easy to take a quick dip when things get too hot.
Well I hope and wish I could see you all there. I'll let you know how it went, anyway.
All the best!
Yoni