Contents: Easiest Job – Close-up on Paul Moore – Jacob’s Ladder by a veteran - Jacob’s Ladder Program – Ray’s Place

May 4-5, 2001

Karei Deshe

For information:

Menachem Vinegrad

04-696-2231

or jaclad@matav.net.il/

In December I asked Gal Shachar from Evergreen to perform at March’s Folk Klub. Evergreen, one of the hottest Irish bands in the country, all live in the area and happily agreed to do an early St. Paddy’s day concert.

In January, Larry Gamliel, a welcome addition to any folk club, informed me that he would be accompanying Marianna. Later that month Hal Wrobel asked if he could do a mini set and join in with Evergreen for a song or two. Hal’s presence is an asset to any folk club and he's always welcome in Karmiel. As good as the line-up might sound, words don’t really do justice to the show they gave or the magic that was in the air.

Marianna was excellent and even Larry playing the oh-so-dreaded accordion sounded great. The sophisticated crowd in Karmiel was familiar with the esoteric songs that the duo sang, and the songs that Marianna wrote spoke to one and all. Hal is one of the most consistent and versatile performers in the Israel folk world. Whether he's singing Irish, folk or even pop, you can be sure that you’re in for a fun evening. Well with all that Irish magic in the air, Hal just shone. He had the audience eating out of his hand. We sang along, hummed in harmony and laughed out loud. What is most amazing is that Hal sings a cappella. His rich voice causes you to forget this as his set builds.

What Marianna, Larry and Hal definitely managed to do is warm up the crowd for Evergreen and the band played off the energy like the pro’s they are.

The three musicians were as tight as I have ever heard them. Well-rehearsed is an understatement -- they were in total sync with each other. Even when joined by guests, the sound was polished and pure. Hal, Bracha from Irish Cream, Ronen on the recorder, and special guest Abe (who plays percussion for River Dance} joined in with Gal, Michal and Eitan on various songs. When they played their finale, there was a few moments of silence because the audience was simply blown away by the group's talent. The silence was quickly replaced by the thunder of clapping.

I would like to thank all of the performers for making me look good and keeping my job so easy and hassle- free.

--Larry Rosenfeld

"Do you know any Weaver songs?" was what this kibbutznik wanted to know, and boy was I glad he asked 'cause I had just about run out of Hebrew songs. So I started cranking out my favorites. Smiles spread across the faces in the room, as the meshek folk joined the city persons in song. The Netanya Hotel Kibbutz was running seminars, and as evening set in and it was time to unwind, I just happened to have my guitar handy.

The guy who inquired about the Weavers was named Menachem and he asked me if I would perform some songs at a folk festival in Kibbutz Machanayim. A month later a postcard arrived inviting me up to the Galil.

Through the blossoming beer buzz haze I heard a familiar name being announced on the loud- speaker. Uh oh - it was mine. So I bounded over to the tiny stage just in time, and looked out onto my noisy inebriated audience. This was definitely not a Weavers crowd, so I moaned out:

(By Charles Seitz, Joe Lewis & Elmer Rader Copyright 1955 Cedarwood

Publishing Co.)

The crowd was pleased - anything would have pleased them. So I did another country number called Baptizing Down By The Creek, followed by Menachem's Weaver songs.

After that, I sunk back into the beer-bingeing crowd sprawled in the dirt. By the time early morning soberly rolled around, I had heard some fantastically funny music by a kibbutznik named Paul Moore, a wonderful singing pharma- cist from Tiberias, and a superb country group called Galilee Grass. They were fronted by one of the best bluegrass banjo pickers I had ever seen perform, David Yellin, yet another kibbutznik. (I don't think that any of them are still kibbutzniks any more.) Life was simpler then.

It felt almost like FLYING on the way back to Tel Aviv with the sublime sounds of real people music filling every part of my existence. The folk festival is no longer in a dirt field, and there's no more free beer (performers get a T-shirt instead), but it still fills you up with those sublime sounds of real people music.

-- Harold Jacobs

Yes, It's true! Paul Moore -- who plays ukulele, jugs, washboards, bathtub bass, suitcase drum, a "zob stick," teapots and a host of other junk objects and musical inventions -- was the guest artist with the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra in five concerts for children, youth and parents in March. Dr. Asterit Baltzan, artistic director and editor of the series, invited Paul Moore to be the guest artist in The New World concerts. She came upon Paul's unique talents two years ago, when he performed with his band The Washboard Wizards on nine of her concerts dedicated to Charles Ives and early American music.

Paul, 51, a child of the 60s, left a promising position at the London Stock Exchange to become a wandering poet and a musician. By-the-by, he practiced a host of professions and occupations to support himself. In 1981 he settled in a kibbutz in the north of Israel, where he worked in an apple orchard and played music with his then newly established band. Disap- pointed with the kibbutz's move toward the material world, he left in 1991 and became a full time musician and entertainer.

Paul lives near Tel Aviv in an old modest house and large garden, grows his own vegetables, keeps chickens and recycles everything. A true environmental artist.

The concert’s program was based around the American music of the 20th century. Entering the stage with his "zob stick" (a piece of wood with an old boot at one end and various pots & pans, beer caps and hooters attached), and kazooing Sousa's Stars and Stripes Forever, he proceeded to take the house by storm with his One Man Band numbers.

He first sang some blues "Jug Band Music" on the ukulele and jug, and followed it with a "Minnie The Moocher" style song, accompanied by his bathtub bass.

A bewitched audience of 2000+ people was clicking their fingers, setting the rhythm, as the bathtub started to sing sweet bass notes. Next came a scat- singing tour de force which I never heard the likes of before, the whole audience returning his "Hi de Ho's" and "He de He's."

The next piece had a playful, theatrical intro- duction: Paul, wearing blue stripped overalls, collarless shirt and bandana, turned around and looked at the conductor and orchestra. He then put on a tail coat and addressed the audience: "We have here an orchestra but I am a conducttoo, and I have an Orchestra of One M- me!” With the wash- board and an attached teapot hung around his neck, ukulele, kazoo n' all, he stepped forward to a converted old music stand. It supported a ukulele case and a small homemade washboard, a cowbell, hooters, a wooden block, a cymbal and a plastic spoon. Next to the stand stood an upright large old suitcase and inside it was a bass drum foot pedal.

The suitcase drum boomed as Paul launched into Ice Cream, You Scream, We All Scream For Ice Cream. He played his ukulele banjo, teapot, kazoo and -- would you believe? -- his teeth with the plastic spoon. Leaving the uke with great agility, to let his fingers slip the thimbles on, Paul played both washboards and attachments and then -- I don't know how he did it -- went back to the ukulele without the thimbles and sang the last verse, inviting the audience to sing along with the chorus.

Bowing to thunderous applause, he then picked up the "zob stick" and with the kazoo humming, danced off-stage, playing Sousa's march with the orchestra as he went. Paul returned for the finale with the Philhar- monic, singing When The Saints Go Marching In and playing his washboard.

It was an evening I will never forget; when the One Man Band came to town, not to play outside, but inside, Mann Auditorium -- Israel's own Carnegie Hall -- with the Philharmonic Orchestra, and was given the respect of a true artist in his own right.

--Alon Katz . Music Review Now (with permission)

Happy Birthday: Ruthie Amit, Esther Baron, Templeton Clarfield, David Deckelbaum, Abe Dorevitch, Ari Meerson, J.P. Laurie, Ora Paltiel, Shlomo Silberman, Daphna Whetstone, Ruth Wiener,

Happy Anniversary: Don & Judi Ganchrow

Mazal tov: to Ray Scudero and Joanna Katzen on their engagement.

Condolences: to Harvey Benson and family (of Stan Ross’ Stompers Dixieland Band, on the passing of their only son and brother.

PRESS RELEASE (April 10, 2001)

Ray Scudero is pleased to announce the opening of Scudero's Place: an artistic environment in which talented musicians can grow, create and flourish. Scudero's place includes Argaman Studios, the Voyager Lutherie, and JoannaRay productions.

Ray is well known as a contemporary singer/ songwriter. He has been running Argaman Studios, a 16-track state-of-the-art digital recording studio in Jerusalem for the past year.

Ray is also pleased to announce his engagement to Joanna Katzen.

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