Remembering Dalia...

I was saddened tonight to hear of the passing of my friend, jazz singer Dalia Pinkus. She died after a long and valiant fight with breast cancer. I met her back in January when she asked me and Gilad to play a gig with her at a Tel Aviv jazz club [Shablul]. I was happy to do it, and I even convinced Elizabeth to come and hear, promising that this wouldn't be the typical 'weird jazz' that she can't stand. When I got to the sound check that night, the manager told me the place was sold out. No seats. Standing room only. I couldn't believe there we had a sellout crowd on a Monday night at a jazz club--that's unheard of. I even had to call Elizabeth and several of my friends to tell them not to come because Dalia sold out the house. As is turned out, her entire cancer support group came out to see her give an amazing performance complete with two full sets, and an encore, all-the-while she was still battling stage 4 breast cancer. What an inspiration.

I am heartbroken to hear of her passing, yet so glad to have known her, and so very blessed to have had the chance to play music with her. Thank you, Dalia...this one's for you.

Shalom Ya'll,

Stew

The Jazz Album(s)!

I finally made it to iTunes! Recording professional music albums is probably the coolest thing I got to do during my time in Israel. Most Olmsteders earn Masters degrees that require writing a thesis, but my program at TAU only required a final project that amounted to a thesis proposal. So with all my course-work behind me in February, I had to find something to fill my time. For me this was easy: hang out with my family and play music. I had ample time to play Jazz, Brazilian, and even a concert of traditional Ashkenazi music, but I'm most proud of the three albums I played on.

When asked by my good friend Gilad Chazav, who is an incredible pianist and composer, if I wanted to play on a studio project recording some of his original music, I jumped at the chance. We recorded in late Feb, then mixed & mastered it, got some help with the graphic design for the cover, then had a few thousand of them burned to CD: "Gilad Chazav--Places". Then we did this same process again for a session we recorded with our Brazilian friends. That became "The Brazilian Session". Finally, when I was back in Tel Aviv for my last three weeks of out-processing in June, we wanted to squeeze in one more, this time with an outstanding drummer, Noam Israeli. What came out of a week of intense rehearsals and a weekend in the studio is this:



It's a straight piano/bass/drums jazz album, but it includes original tunes by each of us, a few standards, and a couple of arrangements we all collaborated on. I even got to tip my hat to General Olmsted on the "Olmsted Blues", as well as take my first shot at writing a ballad, dedicated to my late brother. This album is something that I truly put my heart into and that I'm genuinely proud of. I'm so excited that it's available for anyone to listen or download (click Here or Here). I even got my super-talented friend Avital to design the cover. I think it turned out great!

These projects are a perfect example of how amazing the Olmsted program is, and what a unique opportunity it presents fortunate participants like myself. Music has always been my passion, while the military has been my profession. I love them both, but these things don't normally overlap. However, over three years during the Olmsted program, I was able to combine my passion and my profession a way that allowed me to really get to know some Israelis, make some real friends, and also better myself musically on the bass. And now I have tangible evidence of what a wonderful time I had in Tel Aviv learning about Israel and playing music with Israelis. THANK YOU ONCE AGAIN, GENERAL OLMSTED!

Shalom Ya'll,
Stew

All albums are available online...

Jazz from the Middle to the East (iTunes)
Jazz from the Middle to the East (Amazon)
The Brazilian Session
Gilad Chazav--Places

http://gilad.bandcamp.com/album/the-brazilian-session

http://gilad.bandcamp.com/album/places

Negev Desert Adventures

During a move, things inevitably slip through the cracks.  Some big, some small. We'll have to report on the bigger things once our household goods do or do not make it to our final destination here in the states.  In the meantime, we discovered a post that for some reason was never posted.  Just sifting through these pictures brings back many fond memories.  Israel already seems so far away, but pictures bring us right back there. It is hard to believe that the time is up.

These are pics from our March 2013 trip to the Negev desert in central Israel. Good times, indeed.

First stop: Colored Sands. Any guesses why they call it that?

 

 

The desert blooms in the spring. This red flower only grows in the Negev. Above right is an acacia tree, which is the same wood that was used in the building of the tabernacle. 

Second Stop: The 'Small' Crater (it's not exactly small)

Third Stop: Negev Camel Ranch
We trekked along the Scorpion Trail, which has been used by traders (and American tourists from Tel Aviv) since Biblical times.

Yep, our kids love camels. They have logged more time on camels than horses by now. Will also learned an important lesson after getting kicked in the head by a Camel while trying to pet her baby (no adults actually saw this happen, but Will had the bruise to prove it).
Lesson learned...don't get between a mamma & her baby!

Day 2: Avdat National Park, in central Israel. This place was absolutely beautiful. It reminded us a little of Petra, without all the buildings carved into rocks. It was actually settled by the same folks (Nabateans) back in the day. We'll let the pictures do the talking...

Where's Will?

Where's Will (above & below)?

The view of the cavern from above was stunning. Getting down was equally exciting...

Lydia & EJ were greeted by a cheering class of Israeli high-schoolers as they came down the stairs. Hurray for not falling!

The Phosai family...they are our friends who invited us along on this little weekend adventure & introduced us to this little gem of a national park.

Shalom Ya'll! Team Welch

PS-Thanks again, Phosai fam! You guys rock...