By Eric Mintel
As a musician in the new millennium, I am involved in many aspects of
making a living playing jazz. Whether it be booking, organizing a tour,
outreach to schools, etc., I make it happen. I'm a pianist, composer,
and husband. One of the most important things an independant jazz
musician should do, I believe, is tour and perform his or her music to
different communities throughout the United States and abroad. I have
stuck with that idea that for the last ten years. In that time, I've had
many great performance opportunites, including being invited to the
White House and the Kennedy Center--and what I'm most proud of,
performing throughout the country in various communities and introducing
them to our style of jazz.
I usually work in a quartet with Neil Wetzel on sax, Dave Antonow on
bass and Jeremy Berberian on drums. But I played with the trio of
Mintel/Gaffney/Berberian during our week-long tour of Georgia in May. We
performed in many communities that don't often get a chance to hear live
music, especially jazz.
Some might say, "Why Georgia?"
I say, "Why not!"
What we encountered there was not only enthusiasm for jazz music, but
also a real appreciation for these three musicians visiting from the
North to share their music and talent. We made new friends and found new
opportunities. We performed in beautiful cultural centers that present
arts and music to the community. Wherever we played, audiences seemed to
want more: their cheers, applause, and standing ovations made it
apparent that we were well received. I brought my journal along on this
tour to chronicle the events as they happened. I tried to capture that
spirit of what was happening each day as we anticipated each concert.
The following is an account of our tour through Georgia during the week
of May 12-18, 2001.
Saturday May 12, 2001
We arrived in Savannah late last night, around 11:45, from
Philadelphia. On the plane I sat next to a gentleman who just happened
to be a jazz fan. And better yet, he'd heard about my quartet when we
passed through his home town of Lawrenceville, NJ. On this tour, I'm
playing in a trio with John Gaffney on bass and Jeremy Berberian on
drums. John's from near Allentown, and Jeremy lives in Philadelphia.
When we made it to Savannah last night, our first impression was
music. Music filled the air: jazz, rock, and blues. Music was all
around, along with a bustling night life. Sitting here in a cafe at the
Hyatt Regency overlooking the Savannah River, the feeling seems to be
very laid back. I have to head over to the stage area to do a sound
check with the guys around noon. Most of the equipment has been
backlined for us by the venues. I have to make sure Jeremy has drums and
John has a bass amp (he brought his electric bass for the tour). In just
a few hours we'll perform for the Savannah Arts on the River Festival,
sponsored by the Coastal Jazz Alliance. More than 40,000 people attend
this festival over a three day period. At the time of this writing, I
can hear teams of people coming into the hotel... but from where I'm
sitting here in this cozy lounge, it's a picture of calm. I'd better
head over to the stage.
Saturday May 12, 2001 (Evening)
Overall our first gig went very well. We found a real jazz-oriented
audience here--everyone was very appreciative of the music and the
musicians. We performed on a bandstand that overlooked the river. The
audience clapped along with John's solo on "Blue Rondo a la Turk"--we
usually try to get the audience involved in more of an active role as
listeners. I met some real jazz fans after the show who had enjoyed
themselves and wanted to buy our CD's. As we were performing, I saw
people tapping their feet, smiling, and rocking back and forth to the
music. One gentleman was so moved that he stood in front of the
bandstand dancing to the music. We performed a lot of my original music
from our new CD, Live, plus some of the music of Dave Brubeck.
As I walked back to the hotel, several people stopped me, saying that
they really enjoyed our show and wanted us to come back--which we will.
Now back to the hotel. Next stop: Cordele, Georgia.
Monday May 14, 2001
After saying our goodbyes in Savannah, we took a three and a half
hour trip through the middle of Georgia to a town called Cordele.
As we drove, we passed trailer homes situated on huge pieces of land,
plus lush green hills and lots of open farm land. We passed small town
after small town before we arrived at the hotel in Cordele around 3:30
pm. When I got out of the car, I met the contact I had been talking with
on the phone for almost a year: Ms. Diane Langston. She greeted us jazz
musicians with a big hug and welcomed us to Cordele. The hotel was also
the site of the concert. Diane showed us the ballroom, which had an
incredible Kawai 7ft grand piano. Jeremy had drums, and John was
provided with an upright bass. Talking with Diane, we learned that the
Cordele community is beginning to get very active in the arts, and that
people had been calling all last week to buy tickets for the event. The
show starts tonight at 8 pm, so I decided to get a nap and find
something to eat.
Monday May 14, 2001 (Evening)
What a great concert! The crowd was so into the music, they didn't
want us to leave. We played tunes like "These Foolish Things," my
original tune "Swing Time," and of course "Sweet Georgia Brown." The
audience would clap and cheer in the middle of a solo to celebrate the
inspired moment you just created. They said they've never heard anyone
like us before. The more we played, the more they got into the music. We
made more friends. They even had bottles of wine with labels reading The
Eric Mintel Quartet--how great is that?! It was a great night. John and
Jeremy played well together and had a great time too.
Tuesday May 15, 2001
Because of travel logistics and finance, we had to cancel our gig in
Atlanta. We decided to spend another day here in Cordele, and then head
another hour south to Moultrie on Wednesday. I called the Arts Council
there, which sponsored our Friday night gig, and they told me that they
have already sold out (about 150 tickets) and expect to have a full
house. Next stop, Moultrie.
Wednesday May 16, 2001
Today is my three year wedding anniversary. I called my wife, Darby,
and wished her a happy anniversay, promising that we'll celebrate when I
get back. We're still here in Cordele but we'll be heading out shortly.
I went into the hotel to get some lunch, and the woman at the counter
was on the phone talking about the concert last night and how much
people enjoyed it. We generated a lot of excitement here in Cordele, and
everyone has treated us very nicely. We said our goodbyes to Diane, who
is the best. Last night she took us out to dinner at a small place
called the Olde Inn. There we ate fresh scallops, oysters and steak. I
had grits for the first time, which were great. This stop has been the
best so far, but we still have two more days to go. I called Moultrie
yesterday to check with the bed and breakfast where we'll be staying,
and they are looking forward to seeing us.
on to part 3...
