"Gambaro Japan"

RK performed at the Tsunami Relief benefit concert called "Gambaro Japan" at the Japanese Canadian Culture Centre last Saturday night. There was a wide array of talent raising money for the Japan relief effort. The devestation in Japan has been very deep. Areas near the nuclear plant will be uninhabitable for many decades.  RK played some selections from his Japanese Mysteries CD. Photo by Sachi Kikuchi.

Munching in Munchen

After Vienna we made our way to Munich for our flight back to Toronto. What trip to Munich (let alone Germany) would be complete without a visit to the world famous Hofbrauhaus. Jumbo pretzels, Wiener sausages, Bavarian salt pork knuckles, apple strudel and ... oh and yes, the beer! We met our German friend and aerospace engineering student Tobias Hauk at the train station and took a quick taxi through the pouring rain to the cavernous beer hall. As far as popular touristy activities it is actually pretty enjoyable.

Vienna - Beethoven's Apartment

Vienna is a gorgeous city and a good blend of modern and traditional culture. The Emperor's palaces are indeed impressive but it seems unfair that most of the people in the history books are either aristocrats or military conquerers. A notable exception is Beethoven. Clearly one of the greatest musical geniuses of all time and one of the most famous people in history. What you probably don't know is that Beethoven moved 60 times while living in Vienna. Roughly once every six months. One such place is the Pasqualatihaus. Beethoven's apartment where he wrote the 4th, 5th, 7th and 8th symphonies. I read on a blog that this place is hard to find. That certainly is true as I walked up and down the street several times and couldn't figure out the street number. Locals I asked had no idea either. Finally, I realized it was up the hill behind a grove of trees.  The blog mentioned he had to bang on the door for about ten minutes before anyone answered. When we went that wasn't true but there were no other vistors while we were there.

Prague Digs

We stayed in the top floor of a heritage building behind the main town square across from Franz Kafka's house. I hit my head on the ceiling of this staircase several times. 4th floor makes you realize how much extra exercise the people got back then.

New World in the Old World

Here RK is posing with Dvorak's statue also along the Vltava River - just to counterbalance Jethro Tull. Antonín Dvořák is one of the Czech's greatest sons. Deeply proud of his heritage he often employed folk tunes from his native Bohemia.

Salzburg and Mozartkugel

View from the Salzach River of Salzburg's city centre.

playing umbrella in Mozart's birthplace Museum

Leipzig can learn a lot from Salzburg in terms of marketing. Whereas Leipzig has Bach and many other composers and generally a deep musical history, Salzburg has turned Mozart and The Sound of Music into an absolute tourist bonanza. There are as many souvenirs of Mozart as there are of Mickey Mouse. Mozart, pens, t-shirts, chocolate, candy, hats, you name it - there is something with Mozart's name on it. 

Jethro in Praha

Finding a flute friend in Prague. As we were waling along the river I spotted this poster to ham it up with. Prague is one of those few untouched cities left in Europe where you really can feel you are stepping into the past. The Czech director Milos Forman said Prague was the perfect location to film Amadeus because it still looks 18th century because of the incompetence of the Communists. Meaning there wasn't much commercial development during their reign.

Leipzig and J.S. Bach

On our way to Prague we stopped off in Leipzig. A few people discouraged us from visiting it, but actually it was a high point for me. It is not only the city from which Mendelssohn, Mahler and Schumann are closely associated but also the father of Harmony himself - Johann Sebastian Bach. It is also the city my own father was born. I had only been there once as a child and I must say it has improved since reunification. First stop was the Bach Archive which was very moving for me to see some of J.S's original parchments. Across the square was St. Thomas Church where Bach had composed and choir directed for more than 25 years of his career.  We actually watched a service which contained quite a bit of music. Amazing to realize that many of the most beautiful pieces of music were written and premiered in that space.

Downtown Blues Bar - Hospitality

This venue has lots of Rock&Roll memorablia like these early Beatles photos.

Our bandleader Jim McCarty told us that the owner of the Downtown Blues Club always provides incredible hospitality. He certainly was right about that! When we arrived for sound check he greeted us with glasses of Champagne, which he said was really just medicine for the heart. After getting the sound together he invited us out to the patio for an amazing five course meal. As we were coming off the stage after the encores, he was pouring more Champagne. Then after some beer, he said how about some coffees and ice cream cake.

Braunschweig

The next day, Barry our driver took us to the town of Braunschweig where we were to play Barnaby's Blues Bar that night.
Before sound check Jim and I went to do an interview at the local radio station Radio Okerwelle 104,6 by a very well prepared host Florian Damm.
In Braunschweig there was a peculiar building that looks like something from Dr. Seus. Very creative.

Travel Day to Hamburg

Jean- Michel Kajdan, Jean Christophe, RK, Uncle Jim, and Donald Quan 

Flew from Paris CDG to Hamburg with the band. Had an interesting conversation on the plane about the dwindling resources and future food shortages with a raw industrial alcohol dealer.
Hamburg is a nice city and apparently one of the most eco in Europe. After dinner Donald, Jade and I took a night walk around the, surprizingly empty, area near the Rathaus (city hall). Beautiful area.

City Of Light

Ah yes, "The City Of Light".  As beautiful as Paris is during the day it takes on a different character at night. I particularly like it around the banks of the Seine around the Louvre. Although I have been to Paris probably about 6 or 7 times I had never made it up the Effiel Tower until today. We took the last elevator of the day. As touristy things go it was something well worth doing.

Saint-Germain

Going down to Café de Flore, in the Saint-Germain area to sample the coffee and chocolate treated by our generous band leader. Imagining all the countless hours many of the greatest minds have spent in this café when they could have been painting or writing.

Unlike of course, the serious business of  experimenting with apps from the Iphone.

Paris

(L to R) Ron, Donald Quan, and Jim McCarty 

Great to meet and work with the French musicians, Jean-Michel Kajdan on guitar, Jean-Christophe on drums and Laurent on bass at the rehearsal near Bastille.