We are gearing up for the 2004 North American Jew’s Harp Festival. This year’s dates are July 30 & 31. Saturday, the 31st, will be the "main" day. We already have several new performers signed up and the inquiries are starting to arrive daily!

If you have any ideas for a T Shirt design, please send them to me as soon as possible. I'll forward them on to the festival committee. We hope to have the 2004 design finalized by mid-April.

GUILD MEMBER NEWS:

Gordon Frazier took a Jew’s harp odyssey to Europe this winter. He met Jew’s harp players and makers and did some recording. We have a full report.

John Palmes, from Juneau, traveled "south" in February. Bill and I were happy to have him spend some time with us on his way back home. We heard a few cuts from is upcoming CD, very nice! John and Bill stayed up till 2:00 am playing music. He plans on attending the festival this year.

From Lindsay Porteous: "Just to let you fellow trumpers across the pond know that I’m doing fine and hope (with the help of housing benefit) to stay on at Tron House for a while yet. My other news is I now have a girlfriend, Margaret. This year I judged the trump competition at Auchtermuchty and it was won by my old friend Duncan Williamson. I was a guest at the Kirriemuir Festival ... since I was the only entrant, I got first place! The trophy I made was won again this year at Grandfather Mountain and I now hope it will continue. I have just finished a compilation CD from my recordings from 1984 to 2001 (includes two cuts with Mike Seeger). I hope the trump has a good year in America. All the best to all. Lindsay."

2004 MEMBERSHIP DUES:

Be reminded ... many of you have not yet renewed your Guild membership. If there is a renewal form enclosed with your newsletter, your membership is about to expire. Help keep the Guild and NAJHF alive with your membership (take advantage of the renewal specials including CD or 2003 Festival T Shirt).

2004 Jew’s Harp Guild Board Members

Janet Gohring, Executive Director; Kathi Vinson, Secretary/Treasurer; Gordon Frazier, Board Member; Denise Harrington, Board Member; Larry Hanks, Board Member; Mike Stiles, Board Member; Gene Ralph, Board Member;

During my stay, I was able to watch Zoltán work. He makes dozens of models of dorumb, all with fanciful names, most available in any key, from very high to extremely low. Once he gets his bending jig set up for a frame shape, he likes to make at least 500 of that particular model. There are exceptions; some of his experimental models are produced one at a time, in limited quantities.

One morning he handed me a cardboard box of finished harps, consisting of a variety of models, for me to try. Was that fun? You betcha. I spent a couple of hours playing with them. I ended up buying several for my friend Annette and a couple for myself, including one of the bizarre Apocalypts.

The Apocalypt and the Daisy Cutter are two of Zoltán’s more unusual models. Both have an extra tongue that sticks out from the base of the main tongue, at about a 45 degree angle away from the player. The extra tongue creates a doubling of the harmonic, or an interference of the two base tones, or, umm, oh heck, I have no idea what it does. Let’s just say it creates an unusual sound. What I learned on this trip, though, is that each instrument is unique. The Apocalypts I tried were wildly divergent in sound, length and angle of the extra arm, even frame shape. They are works of art, and it takes Zoltán a long time to produce one, as many of them don’t work the way he wants them to, so he starts over. The especially successful ones are happy accidents.

Zoltán buys five different types of spring steel, from various countries, to use for the tongues of his instruments. The most expensive isn’t cheap; he patted a roll of it (perhaps 4 inches wide, 30 inches high, a couple of inches thick) and gave me one of his penetrating looks. "A new car," he said, indicating the cost of the roll of steel.

He makes one particular model to sell wholesale in the larger Hungarian cities, but outside of Hungary his sales are almost exclusively to individuals. Zoltán also imports and resells rhythm instruments, especially to schools. This makes up a good chunk of his business income, but most of his time (and heart) is devoted to the dorumb.

Zoltán was critical of his English skills, but I understood him just fine. He talked of tinkering with experimental instruments before discovering the dorumb and deciding to try his hand at making them. Finding something you love to do, and being able to make a living doing it, is the secret to happiness, he said. "And Gordon," he said to me, pausing from his work and peering at me intently, "I am a happy man."

If I had to choose one word to describe Zoltán, it would be "intent." He is intently passionate about his work; intently happy with his home, family, and life; intently curious about everything from UFOs to natural history. He leans forward, fixes you with an earnest gaze, and you cannot help but care. He is also funny, and warm, and immensely likable.

Later that day, I was upstairs chatting with Gyorgyi. In the background we could hear the boing, pause, boing, pause, boing of Zoltán in the basement, using metal snips and an electronic tuner to tune an instrument. You must hear that a lot, I said. She rolled her eyes slightly and smiled.

On Thursday, Áron had arranged a concert at Nekem 8, a teahouse where his band Navrang has performed. It was billed as "transz-atlanti dorumbest" ("Trans-Atlantic Jew’s Harping"). For this evening only, he put together a group consisting of his fellow dorumb player Oszi (from Navrang), and two members of the band 3ember. Ulrich Gábor plays both a traditional African drum and an electronic drum set, and Majoros Gyula plays a variety of flutes, dorumb, and, occasionally, bagpipes. I was the fifth member of the impromptu group.

"I have no idea what it will be like," Áron told me.

Nekem 8 is the coolest teahouse I’ve ever seen. It is alcohol-free but has an extensive tea and pastry menu. In the main space there are the usual tables and chairs, but through an archway in the back is a room with a couch and comfy chairs, and a side alcove features a couple of Japanese-style low tables and cushions. The main space has a lot of brick, including a vaulted brick ceiling, and a tiny stage. A cozy place to play some tunes.

Áron got up and introduced me, as I was to open for the group. I had decided to lead with Whiskey Before Breakfast. I was eager to make a good impression, so I played the heck out of it. Overplayed it, probably. Every lick I know, lots of effects, ending with a big shave-and-a-haircut, TWO BITS!!

The crowd responded with ever-so-polite applause.

Oh crap, I thought. They don’t like old-timey. Okaaay…how about the blues? I got out a low harp and did "Summertime," emoting like crazy. And got: polite applause. Um. Hmmm. Maybe they’ll like the Clackamore?

A couple of tunes later, after failing to get more of a crowd response, I decided to throw in the towel. I motioned to Áron that I was done. He gave me a funny look, but said okay.

He and Oszi got up on stage then, and played a duet I had heard them rehearsing the night before. It cooked! And when they were finished? Yup, polite applause.

Later I would learn that polite applause is the way Hungarian audiences "give it up." (Not like American audiences, who will use any excuse to yell woo-woo and stomp their feet.) So yes, the crowd at Nekem 8 did in fact like old-timey, and blues, and the Clackamore. Áron thought it was pretty funny when he learned of my cultural confusion.

The group jam was a highlight of my trip. It is great fun to improvise with other musicians, especially with musicians who play so well. Like most improvs there were awkward bits ("That was an experiment," Áron told the crowd at one point) but also shining moments of clarity and, every once in a while, actual funkiness.

Áron told me a number of people approached him afterwards and told him how much they enjoyed the concert. See, this is how people in Hungary show their appreciation, he told me. A quiet word after.

We had to say goodbye to "Shadow" in January 2004. Most of you will remember Shadow, Gordon Frazier’s border collie who was our "official Festival Mascot" since the festival’s beginning in 1991.Shadow loved the Jew’s harp festival and we loved her! So many of my festival memories include Shadow and she will be missed. Gordon recently sent an email about Shadow ... here are a few excerpts from it: "Shadow knew what she liked. She liked sheep! To her delight, she had the opportunity to herd an entire flock just a few weeks before she passed away. She liked agility, too. It wasn’t as good as herding, but it was an acceptable second choice. To watch her run a fast, tricky, Jumpers course, her feathers flying, a big shit-eating grin on her face ... oh, that was to watch life itself."

Larry Hanks—vocals, 6 string guitar, Jew’s harp (trump)
Mike Marker—vocals, banjo, 6&12 string guitars

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