What seems impossible...

Always love it when artists think BIG for a good reason.
This excellent XL painting was made in a long day of hard work, by a small team of daring cultural athletes, in celebration of 25 years of refugee help work.
It made me think of the many almost impossible challenges most refugees have to face every single day.
AND what a contribution all this talent and commitment is to LIFE !
As you can see even the weather seemed inspired

Highschool Reunions Are Hot

Highschool Reunions are increasingly popular these days, and since I drifted through a school or two, three maybe, in my days, and know a few musicians, I now find myself on stage in nostalgic jamsessions occasionally.
This time I kind of disguised myself as the drummer, to take a few pictures 'from the driver's seat', like Stewart Copeland of The Police used to do, when all of a sudden the MC started to announce the next guest musicians and it was too late to escape when I heard: 'on drums, from the class of 76, mr: .............' and saw a mike under my nose, so I answered:
'Piet Veerman', the first name from the 70's I could think of, and winged myself through the following jam. Nobody noticed anything anyway, apart from Piet himself maybe, if the cat was listening...


















when the song was finished I blended into the backstage area and partied on happily with the long time no sees.

One of my personal highlights of the day was a brilliant Rebel Dada speech by an old friend from the Hollanditis days, dressed up as Jeroen Krabbe. We thought he had given up art for politics, but he proved us he'd found a way to combine them with the use of irony.


































Then we were treated to some very cool Nun Comedy, and from then on the ghost of the seventies was out of the bottle and wild dancing could begin. A band full of pro's from the Musical world and Borsato-bizz almost rocked the ceiling off with their mix of Soulful Sounds and Disco Classics.
If only they would celebrate together like that in schools these days, I heard many a party animal say...

High Quality

Since the Leiden governements prestigious so called 'high art' policies have driven almost all the non-commercial music lovers and their organizations out of their buildings and onto the street, they had to start looking for alternative concert locations
















On sept.9, the annual Monumental Buildings Day, the old rebels of
jazzclub Hot House, culture organization
the X, and the Burcht Society therefore
organized a unique event on the
Highest Spot
in center town, the
ancient fortress, (Burcht in dutch,)
where a FREE concert was given
by DE JONGENS DRIEST, with
the internationally praised
drummer Michael Vatcher and
the CWO Brass Orchestra.
The concert was enjoyed by
the young and old and filmed
and photographed by busloads
of asian tourists who considered themselves very lucky with this
free cultural treat
Yours truly was filming too, and
a U tube clip is in the making, with
permission of the artists.
Of course I will send them the final edits
first for defenitive approval, so it may take
a little time, but its worth waiting for.
For now you can also surf to these sites:

http://www.dejongensdriest.nl

http://www.hairymusic.com
http://www.leidsjazztrio.nl