the Conga Kings...Carlos 'Patato' Valdez and Candido Camero-WOW!!!

In the studio with Grupo Yanqui

Me and Albert 'Tootie' Heath teaching together at the Stanford Jazz Workshop

Me and Herlin Riley @ Lincoln Center, NYC

Me and Matt Hughes-Kalamazoo, MI

Tri-Fi...Matthew, Me and Phil at a Festival in PA

Jeff Hamilton and me at the Montreaux Jazz Festival in Switzerland!

Me and an 'up and coming guitarist'...yes, that IS George Benson.

(and Bassist Stanley Banks trying to sneak in the shot!)

Oscar Seaton, (George Benson's drummer) and me in England

The Band in Milan...ooooooh

The Band at Lincoln Center in NYC

**In February of 2006 I embarked on a month long tour with Grupo Yanqui (Bennett Paster, Greg Ryan, and Jim Seeley) as part of the prestigious U.S. State Department/Jazz @ Lincoln Center Rhythm Road tour to Sweden, Russia, Estonia and Serbia/Montenegro. I will be keeping a travel log and posting it daily so check back for pics and news from each day�s events.

(Visit http://grupoyanqui.com/tour.html for more tour info.)

2/2 Yesterday evening we left New York for a 7 1/2 hour plane trip to Stockholm, Sweden. We landed early this morning and were met by Ann-Charlotte from the U. S. Embassy�s Cultural Affairs office. We were pretty tired after traveling all night but still managed to do a couple hours of site seeing as Ann-Charlotte was gracious enough to show us around beautiful Stockholm. Our hotel is very nice and it has free wireless internet in all of the rooms...score!! The boys and I had a wonderful dinner at Laconda, a new and really hip Italian/European restaurant. The temperature was about 40 degrees F today...not bad at all.

Here is a picture of the trio in front of the opera house. (Bennett, me and Greg)

2/3 Today we relaxed and went to the Skansen Museum, an open-air museum that covers Swedish history complete with old farmsteads, houses, stores, and workshops from the first part of the last century...we even saw some elk, bison and the wolverines being fed! Today was in the 20's and it began to snow big time! That evening we had a reception in our honor given by the Cultural Affairs Office from the U.S. Embassy. Lots of club owners, local musicians, critics and other beautiful folks were present for a nice evening of food and drink. We then were taken to a traditional British Pub by Chris and Liz for a late night bite and beverage.

2/4 Today we traveled 1 1/2 hours to Verastas and played at the Festijazz Jazz Festival. Approximately 200 people were in the audience and we were well received. We then returned to Stockholm and went to the Jazz Club Fasching for dinner and to hear the great Swiss drummer Daniel Humair, bassist Palle Danielsson and saxophonist Benjamin Koppel. It was really inspiring!!!

Us at the Verastas 'FestiJazz'...

2/5 We had a day off today so we went to the VasaMuseet...which is a museum built around this big ship (called Vasa). It was built in the 1600�s but sank before it could get out of the harbor. It was under water for over 300 years, so they finally lifted it out and made a museum around it. It was really interesting and was a fun way to spend a cold day in Stockholm-it got up to about 20 degrees F today...ouch! We hit a nice little Italian place near the hotel for dinner...and I was able to catch some of the SuperBowl on TV!

2/6 We had a concert and masterclass today at the Royal Academy of Music here in Stockholm. It went well and then we came back to the hotel for a short (and very quiet) rehearsal. We went to �The Glenn Miller Cafe� tonight and heard a trio of Swedish musicians and even the though the club has Miller�s name, the music is nothing like his music. We then went to the Indian place next door for dinner...oh yeah, I love Indian food! Our stay here has been really relaxing and everyone here has been incredible, so nice and helpful and they speak English!!!!

2/7 Today we traveled by plane from Stockholm to Moscow. We were all pretty excited about going to Russia since we hadn�t been there before. The weather forecast was for sub 0 degrees F and we all pretty much had our long underwear on, ready for the brutal cold...the flight was fine...
We waited in line at passport control for about an hour and when we finally got to the booth, we all got through fine with the exception of Greg. He was made to wait for about another hour before they let him go through. The officials were nice, they just didn�t get a clearance to let him through from the computer...this was a little unsettling but after 2 hours of waiting we were ready to get to the hotel. We got our luggage and then went to customs to claim our instruments. If we hadn�t claimed our instruments on the way in to Russia, there is always a chance that when we leave they wouldn�t let us take our instruments with us!! We got throught customs, just fine (actually the guy asked for a CD....hey! no problem!!!) When we got out, we couldn�t find the driver that was supposed to meet us. At this point, our plane had landed over 2 hours ago. These �independent taxi� guys were trying to help us and get us to use them...we continued to look for our driver and Bennett began to attempt contacting the embassy. He had to buy a Russian phone card and was having problems with the phones and when he finally got through, our main contact wasn�t in and the person Bennett spoke with had no record of us needing a driver!! Great! Just when we got off of the phone and began to look for a alternative transportation, our driver appeared!! Thank you, Jesus!!! We exited the airport and hit the crisp and startling cold...I began to cough as it was so cold on my lungs. We took a 40 minute van ride to the hotel (one of the nicest in Moscow=5 Stars!) and had a relaxing and long awaited dinner in the restaurant complete with solo piano in he corner! Our hotel is situated just off of Red Square. Long day, no doubt.

2/8 We went to the Kremlin and Red Square...amazing!!! Later in the afternoon we went to the Ambassador�s Residence and played a concert for 250-300 people that work at the U.S. Embassy and their closest contacts. The concert was great, everyone played well and the audience loved it. Everyone was so friendly and excited about us and our music. What a privilege to play for all of these people and represent the U.S. in Russia.

the band inside the Kremlin...

Me in front of St. Basil's in Red Square...

2/9 Today we took a walk to �Old Arbot�, a walking street that is more of a tourist area and made our way to the U.S. Embassy. We stopped by Red Square again for some more pictures and went inside the famed St. Basil Cathedral. (This is the most colorful building that you think of as the Moscow landmark in Red Square.) We caught a 5:50pm train towards Saratov. Masha, our Russian friend from the Embassy accompanied us onto the train as our guide and translator. We had �first class� cabin on this 16-hour overnight train trip. Each cabin was equipped with 2 small beds and a tiny table on which to eat. We were sandwiched between the bathroom and the dining car so we were set for the road! (or tracks, as it were.) It�s a pretty relaxing way to travel, much more comfortable than flying.

2/1 Today was Bennett�s Birthday. We woke up on the overnight train and arrived at 9am. We dropped our gear off at the concert hall and went to the hotel to check in and clean up. We had a master class at the Saratov Music School. The kids were very eager to learn and we had a wonderful time. Went out for a traditional Russian lunch and to the venue for soundcheck and concert. About 500 people attended the concert at the Saratov Philharmonics and we were very well received. We met the Russian Minister for Cultural Affairs and had a nice reception after the show. We celebrated Bennett�s Birthday at an Irish Pub down the street called �Papa�s�. Horribly loud music and people were dancing that had no business dancing! It was fun though! This was long day.

2/11 Today I spent some time with a couple young drummers from the Saratov Music School-hanging out, talking and playing drums. The hotel was a real � experience�. We shopped a bit at the food market, picking up some cheese, sausage and bread for the road and then left on a 13-hour overnight train ride to Samara, accompanied again by our fearless leader from the U. S. Embassy Maria. Maria was so great helping us to communicate and we all had a good time together-lots of laughs. It�s nice to have friends in Russia now!

Bennett Paster-piano, Greg Ryan-bass, Jim Seeley-trpt and me at the Saratov Philharmonics!

2/12 After the overnight ride, we woke up in Samara. We went to the hotel for a couple hours to nap and then hit the soundcheck and concert at the Samara Philharmonics. There was a full house once again, 250 people or so. We left directly after the concert for the train station for yet another overnight train ride. This one was only 9 hours. The train station in Samara is really modern compared to some of the others we had seen. This was the last train we would take in Russia. These trains weren�t horrible, we all had a bunk and shared rooms with each other, but it�s hard to sleep with the movement and then you�ve got all of the stops too. Getting our gear on and off was quite a process, the hallways and doorways are really narrow but we all worked together to make it happen.

2/13 We arrived in Ufa and were met by Yulia of the U.S. Consulate along with the directors of the Philharmonics and someone from the ministry of culture. It�s funny, most places would send a driver and maybe a �gopher� type person to meet you at the airport or train...over here they send the �heavies� to pick you up! The hotel was really nice compared to the last two and everything seemed like such a luxury to us. It was nice to be in a 4 star hotel again! We took a tour of the city, seeing some famous monuments and went to a shopping mall. We did a jam session tonight with a bunch of local musicians. There was probably 50 people in attendance and I was pleasantly surprised by the level of the players. It�s amazing to go to a little city in Russia and hear cats that are really trying to play jazz!

2/14 Today we did a Valentine�s Day event with some school children ranging from ages 7-18 or so. They were dressed in traditional Bashkir costumes and singing songs. I actually got the chance to play some tunes with a brass quintet...we did �the Pink Panther�, �Smoke Gets in your eyes�, and a couple others-it was such a trip! This part of the tour was a huge highlight for me-the kids and their warm smiles were something that I really needed! They were totally thronging us for our autograph and to get our picture taken with them! We had a press conference and ate at a cute little Ukrainian restaurant for dinner. Our evening concert was well received, about 500 people attended. They also had a reception after the concert in our honor where we met some really nice people. I�m surprised at how much they appreciated us, our culture and our music. We certainly take things for granted.

Here's us with the kids in their traditional Bashkir costumes after our concert!

...and me with my new gig...with a brass quintet!!!!!

2/15 Today we left the hotel at 5am and flew from Ufa to Moscow. We were met by two gentlemen who helped us with our gear and we transferred from Sheremetevo 1 (domestic) to the international airport-Sheremetevo 2. We had plenty of time between flights so we had breakfast at none other than TGI Friday�s!..it was actually kind of nice to have some eggs and toast. After eating cold cuts and tomatoes for breakfast the last few days, this was appreciated. We flew to Helsinki and then on to Tallinn, Estonia. We were met by Maris and Eric from the Embassy and checked in to the SAS Radisson...can you say �free Wi-Fi�?
It�s a beautiful thing! Went to a delicious dinner and did a gig at the Von Krahl Jazz Club next door. It was kind of a college scene, everyone was standing up and dancing to our music all night..it was pretty cool! This was a seriously long day and I was ready for some sleep!

Von Krahl Jazz Club, Tallinn, Estonia

View from my room of Tallinn

2/16 Today was our day off!!! Tallinn, is a very modern city, but they have preserved the Medieval old-town and we did some touring around this historic area, buying souvenirs and seeing old churches and cobblestone streets. Had a long, leisurely dinner at a place called Pegasus-a French joint with an Indian splash...it was still pretty cold here-20�s and teens.

Me in Tallinn

2/17 Today was kind of a long day as we did a masterclass at the Estonian Music Academy for some musicians and kids from the Arts Management class. Then we drove to Georg Ots Music School and did a clinic for more musicians. A few of them got up to play with us and hopefully we were able to turn them on to some basic jazz concepts and some good CDs to listen to. We drove about 100 km to Rakvere, Estonia where we did a concert at the Rakvere Theater Cafe for about 50 people. We took our bus back to the hotel and crashed for the night...long day.

2/18 We had the morning off so I finished some souvenir shopping for my family and met the guys at Olde Hanse, a Medieval restaurant that had long wooden tables and was lit totally by candles...old school!!! A really cool place with great food....bear, elk, wild boar etc... We then played a concert for the grand opening of the new KUMU art museum, complete with the U.S. Ambassador and many other Americans from an exchange program and artist John Ruppert. This was a really fun night!!

U.S. Ambassador to Estonia Aldona Zofia Wos, her two kids, Artist John Ruppert and the band in Tallinn!

2/19 We got up really early for an 8 am flight to Serbia by way of Prague. We got off of the plane and were met by an expeditor named �Micky� and he took us right through customs with no delay and out to meet Yelena and John from the U. S. Embassy. There were 2 vans and 2 drivers who loaded our gear and we were off for a 3 hour van ride. We�ve got these 4 people with us on the road for the next 5 days. We stopped for a nice big lunch and arrived at our hotel in Vrnjacka Banja. Along the way we stopped at a gas station/rest stop on the highway...we were pretty excited that the weather was so warm-we all had t-shirts on....Greg was especially excited...check him out!

Greg in Serbia.

2/20 Today we walked into town and shopped at a market and relaxed until mid-afternoon. We drove about 30 minutes to Krusevac and played a concert at a nice theater for approximately 300 people. After the concert we were wined and dined at a cool little restaurant with lots of traditional Serbian food...this begins with vegetables and lots of hot bread, followed by tons of meat products! They like to eat in Serbia and I was totally stuffed after every meal.

2/21 Today we hopped in the van and drove a couple hours to Novi-Pazaar, a smaller town in the mountains that is mostly poplulated by Muslims. The drive was beautiful. We checked in to the hotel, had a bite to eat, and went to the cultural center for a soundcheck and concert. These concerts in Serbia were free to the public, compliments of the U.S. Embassy so we weren�t sure who, if anyone was coming to these concerts. The crowd tonight was not bad, with lots of young people, and they were very enthusiastic.

2/22 Today I was awaken by the Muslim call to prayer at 5:45 am. I am familiar with this after spending a couple months in Turkey years ago and was reminded of how much I enjoy this type of music. But, it was still only 5:45 am! We got up and left at 10 am for a 5-hour van trip back to Belgrade. We had the night off, so we went into town for a nice relaxing dinner.

2/23 Today is our final concert of the tour! We went in to town again and did some site seeing, some shopping and visited the Belgrade Fortress. It was getting a bit colder, but still much warmer than Moscow. The gig went well, as it was attended by many of the Embassy employees including the Ambassador and his wife. I think we ended on a high note tonight, it seemed that we all were having fun-knowing that this was going to be it for this music for a while.

2/24 4:45 am lobby call. Ugh. Went to the airport with Dragan our driver and Micky our expeditor...smooth sailing and I wasn�t charged too much for my overweight luggage...Hallelujah! 6:10 am flight to Frankfurt, to Newark, to Cincinnati, to Kalamazoo...4 flights, 3 airlines, 24 hours of travel door to door...Coming home...always the best part of traveling.