The Sun is Shinin'

Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

Little Joe McLerran Quartet with Abo Siraj

On Saturday, after a time out at the hotel our friend Ali took to the old city market. Robbie, Joe, and Ronnie picked up some goodies to bring home and I drank in all the sights, sounds and aromas of this exotic Middle Eastern bazaar. The old city of Jeddah is over 400 years old and Ali walked us deep into the heart of this antiquity. There were thousands of shops and vendors selling everything, literally from soup to nuts. Joey was approached by a man selling a battery powered vibrating back massager. Joe suggested that the man talk to Ronnie instead. Ronnie then spent the next 10 minutes trying to dissuade a very persistent salesman. The good news is he dropped his price from 50 Saudi riyals to 10 Saudi riyals (that’s from about $13 to $2.50) but Ronnie was able to escape with all his riyals intact. Ali then took us for a quick stop at the best shawarma and juice stand in the city. Shawarma is like a Mideast sandwich wrap….with meat wrapped in warm pita bread and topped with hummus or vegetables or pesto or whatever they’ve got. I had both a chicken and a beef shawarma, as well as a banana smoothie milkshake. It was so good I almost bit my finger eating it!

Mr. Sadeg and Berneso display the
Mississippi saxophones and bamboo cane flutes

After the market, we departed for the office-studio of the famous Saudi musician and band leader, Omar Alattas. Omar is a famous singer and musician who performs at countless private parties, weddings, and official events. We were greeted with a warm welcome from our musical brothers, offering Arab coffee, tea, yummy sweets, and conversation. After the pre-music visit we toured his facility and were led into a carpeted room. As soon as we entered the room Omar's band started playing a fantastic number, featuring singing, and rhythmic hand clapping that sounded like loud cracks in 16th beats. We all sat on the floor and proceeded to exchange instruments with our counterparts. Joey explored the nuances of playing an oud, Ronnie played various drums, and I tried, to no avail, to get any kind of sound from a bamboo flute. Mr. Sadeg was my flute playing counterpart and he made some impressive tones on his new harmonica as we continued to chuckle at my total inability to even get a squeak from my new flute. We had great fun playing and enjoying each others music without words. Once again the truth presents itself to us....Music is the universal language! We then played songs for each other. Omar's band was so impressive in their musicianship and ensemble playing. Mr. Omar directed his super tight band with hand gestures and as the evening progressed, violins, flute, oud, and a dancer was added to the mix. After about 40 minutes of glorious music we took our sweaty selves back to Mr. Omar’s office for more food, photos, and an embarrassment of gifts. Then hand shakes and hugs with a promise to talk to our friends at Lincoln Center about bringing Omar's fantastic Saudi folklore group, Abo Siraj to New York for a performance. We are sure Americans would love the music.  This was another Arabian night to remember.  How can it be that every day and with every experience, I find myself thinking, “this was the high point of our tour!”

Al Diddley Bo, Saudi style

Our mission on Sunday was to perform a concert at Effat University for Women. We were not sure what to expect but we were pleasantly surprised to play in front a large appreciative group of college women. As you can imagine Joey was a big hit with the young women and we signed lots of autographs. After the show we had a nice lunch and chat with the administrator, who gave us a brief overview of this one of a kind school. Math, engineering and sciences are the core curriculum and the students receive a top notch education with all the texts and instruction in English. Duke University in the US is their partner and they regularly exchange students and faculty there. The future looks bright for these brilliant young Saudi women!  Photography of the women was prohibited, but we got some good shots of the band on stage.

LJMQ at the Effat University with a backdrop of the old city of Jeddah.

Tomorrow we leave the kingdom of Saudi Arabia. It has been an incredible week here, filled with experiences I will never forget. Our journey tomorrow takes us to Kuwait for more stops on the Rhythm Road.

Help Me

Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

Friday was a rest day for the band due to everyone observing the Sabbath in this part of the world. We all slept in and then started our day with lunch at a trendy downtown restaurant. After lunch we headed to the US Consulate to do laundry at the Consul General's house. Technical difficulties (a major water leak) forced us to move over to the Marine house for laundry. But it was great fun hanging out with Marines, even if we were doing our laundry! The Marine house felt like a little bit of home and they have a very small refreshment area that is a oasis for many a thirsty traveler. Before we left I gave a quick harmonica lesson to Public Affairs Officer Dina Badawy and her friend Meryl. They were quick learners and we discussed adding two more Mississippi Saxophones to the band. While there, we were also privileged to meet Martin R Quinn the Consul General of the US. He warmly welcomed us and we chatted about our tour so far. It is amazing to have the opportunity to meet so many very distinguished and special people who serve our country.

But the real special people were yet to come. On Saturday morning we drove to the Help Center to set up and sound check for an afternoon performance. After the sound check, we dashed back to the Consulate for a remote radio interview. Some of the questions dealt directly with US /Saudi relations. Robbie elegantly stated that we are on a cultural exchange mission and I echoed that with the statement that music transcends national borders. Everyone agreed that our tour is a unique opportunity to connect people through music. We shared that our experience in Saudi Arabia has been very positive and enriching and that whatever fears we might have had were put to rest by the warm reception of our new Saudi friends.

After the interview, we then returned to the Help Center. The Center was co-founded almost 25 years ago by Maha Al-Juffali in response to the need to help special needs children learn the skills for life. The family is a very wealthy Saudi family (Mercedes Benz dealers) and they wanted to find a way to give back to the community. So they started the Help Center where children with cognitive disabilities, from infants to 18 years old, participate in day programs in a world class facility with “tip of the top” staff and curriculum. I have been in many schools and the Help Center is perhaps the finest program for special needs kids I have ever seen.

Looking out at all the smiling faces at the Help Center

The best part of the day was our musical performance. As soon as Joey struck up the band, big smiles broke out and everyone was having a total blast. The kids, the band, the Help Center staff and the Consulate staff all joined in the moment. Of all the incredible experiences I’ve had on this Rhythm Road adventure, this was my peak experience of the tour so far. I sensed the instant connection of our music with the kids and the more we played, the more joyful the moment became. We had dancing, swaying, boogie-woogieing, singing, handclapping, smiles, laughter and love. I am so fortunate to get to do what I do!

The Blues healed me!

Dancin' to the Blues.

With some of our new friends...What a joyous experience!

This is what I love doing!

Our days are rich and rewarding on the Rhythm Road, so full of incredible experiences.  Tonight we’re having a big jam session with Abo Siraj, a Saudi folklore group. It promises to be interesting because there will be traditional oud and string players, percussionists, and even dancers. We’ll be jamming at a private residence. It should be big fun.

Tomorrow could be another groundbreaking event. We’ve just received word that the concert at Effat University for Women will go on as scheduled. More on that as it unfolds. Again, as they say here, En’shallah….if God wills it.

Further On Up the Road

Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

Groucho Marx and the hookah

Thursday allowed us to catch up on our rest and go out for a relaxing dinner with Donny Yoo from the US Cultural Affairs Office. As we drove along the beautiful Red Sea, we admired hundreds of public works of art along the way. Every traffic roundabout featured a multi story sculpture. One was a giant monolith with actual cars sticking out at all angles. It even had a Chevy Camaro jutting out of the top! Dinner was at a restaurant complex just a few feet from the waves hitting the shore line of the Red Sea. We dined in a tent like area filled with sofas, large coffee tables, and very tall ornate water pipes. We sat next to a large open window just a few feet from the water and sea breezes. It felt wonderfully relaxing. Hamour fish (in the Grouper family) is the most common fish in the gulf and it is good stuff. After dinner Donny ordered up a pipe full of apple flavored shesha. They gave us a fresh hose and placed hot coals on top of the foil covering the shesha. I had fun taking photos of everyone enjoying a bowl of shesha. Of course, I “just said no” to the experience, due to my delicate sensibilities, if you know what I mean.

Robbie strikes a pose

Ronnie samples the apple shesha

On the drive home we stopped at a large super market for supplies. As I mentioned earlier Saudi culture is more nocturnal in nature and the market was packed with families at 11:30 pm. Thursday night is usually family night in the Kingdom and Friday is the Sabbath. On Friday we are going with Dina Badaway, the Cultural Affairs Officer, to the Consulate complex to do laundry. Then we’ll have time to explore the cosmopolitan city of Jeddah. Tomorrow, we’ve got more school gigs.

VERY IMPORTANT FOOTNOTE:

Today, April 9th is my dear Elizabeth’s birthday. She is celebrating a benchmark birthday…shouldn't say the number but it rhymes with nifty. I want the whole wide world to know just what she means to me. Liz brings true joy to everyone she meets. Elizabeth is my constant example of strength, intelligence, humor, loyalty, generosity, and love. Happy Birthday Elizabeth! Have a great day at the ball park. Eat a Hot Dog for me.

Eyesight to the Blind

Riyadh & Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

What an interesting few days it has been here in Saudi Arabia. On Tuesday morning, April 6th, on our way to a Saudi TV interview, we received word that our big performance at the gigantic King Fahd Cultural Center was scheduled to happen that evening. It would be by invitation only, with women and children seated separately from the men. This would be an historic event, since no American music had ever been played here before, especially Blues. We felt the weight of history on our shoulders and we were determined to deliver our cultural message.

The Saudi TV interview was a live interview on a local morning show. The floor director only spoke Arabic, so we felt a little unsure as to our “on air” cues. In fact, I happened to be strolling out of the bathroom directly on to live TV as the interview was starting. I was hustled around the camera to the other side of the sofa with a big smile like it was all planned. The program tied a cooking segment around our performance, so after our mini performance and interview, we then provided the musical soundtrack as the chef prepared yummy American style hamburgers. Just like Regis and Kathy Lee…..or maybe more like Wayne’s World. It was big TV fun.

Live from Riyadh, it's Good Morning KSA!

On the set of Good Morning KSA

As the day unfolded, we felt excitement as we prepared to head to the King Fahd Cultural Center for the sound check and performance. We arrived there around 6:00 pm and Billy Banks ensured that everything around the show was super professional. As we waited for the performance in the green room, Ben Peracchio from the Embassy continually updated us as to the size of the crowd. Ben is also a talented graphic artist and designed a special poster promoting the concert at the King Fahd Cultural Center. The posters are glossy, with a large press photo of us and lots of Arabic writing promoting this groundbreaking event. Ben is mailing a few of the posters home to us. I plan to have mine framed and hang it in a place of honor.

"Song List" - Little Joe McLerran

When the curtain rose, we were introduced to the crowd of approximately 1000 people by US Ambassador James Smith. The lighting on the stage made it impossible for us to see past the first 2 rows of seating, but we could hear their vigorous applause. We played for an hour long set and the show was met with good response throughout the performance. After the show, we were told some folks actually stood up, clapped, and boogie-woogied in that Saudi way. I’m reminded of conversations I’ve had with my friends Bubba, Jerry and Rayne down in Helena, Arkansas about the segregated south. They said that in their youth, they would attend soul and blues shows in Helena and Memphis. Blacks were relegated to the balcony or were separated by a velvet rope. However, once the music started, the barriers came down and folks mixed, as the power of music helped heal our country. I witnessed some of that same dynamic unfolding at the King Fahd Cultural Center that night.

Billy the Grinder with Bernesto

Immediately after the show, the Embassy staffed whisked us from the venue to the airport to where we bid a fond farewell to our dear friend Billy Banks, who left us to go back to Jazz at Lincoln Center. Billy taught us many things about how to ensure a successful performance in a strange land and how to travel efficiently and on time. He’s a smart, funny cat who we all just love. We can’t wait til our paths cross again. The Embassy staff helped expedite us through ticketing and security for our 12:30 am flight to Jeddah. We were starving, and we spied some fried chicken in the airport. We sat down to enjoy a quick snack and we were all totally buzzed about the historical concert we had just played. We were in warm, afterglow, all smiles and laughter, but when I looked at my watch, it was 12:25 am. We hustled to the departure gate and were informed by the staff that our flight had just departed!! Billy Banks had been gone for 30 minutes and left us on our own and we missed a flight! I know he’ll find out about it and we’ll never the end of it. We spent the next 5 hours hanging out in the Riyadh airport, waiting for the next flight to Jeddah. The odd thing is that the airport was full of people and bustling like it was 3:00 in the afternoon, not 3:00 in the morning. I’ve learned that Saudi culture is very nocturnal. It was weird and surreal. After all, they roll up the streets in Tulsa at 9:00 pm.

We arrived in beautiful Jeddah about 9:00 am on Wednesday, April 7th. The drive to the hotel was along the Red Sea. The city has countless pieces of public art found in every roundabout and all along the waterfront. The climate is hot and humid, like Oklahoma mid summer, but it’s yet to really warm up here. We’re staying at the beautiful Intercontinental Hotel where Secretary of State Hillary Clinton stayed a few weeks ago.

Last night, we performed at the US Consulate in Jeddah at Heroes’ Hall. We played for artists, students, reporters, various ex-pats, and other diplomatic personnel from other countries. I had a wonderful conversation with Toshimitsu Ishigure, the Consul General of Japan. He commented on my harmonica playing and I gave him a harmonica as a souvenir. He was delighted! After the show, we were treated to a reception at the social club with a buffet featuring yummy US food, including fried chicken, cheese grits, mashed potatoes, and pumpkin pie!! The high point of the evening for me was meeting and talking with Lt. Col. Gerald C. Graham, the Region 2 US Marine Corps Commanding Officer in charge of the Embassy security groups for the whole region. I told him about my dear friend Tom Moran, an ex-marine who sent me his Marine pin as a good luck mojo for my trip. I must have been tired because I was overcome with emotion. I gave the Lt. Col a harmonica and he gave me his personal coin of the Marine Security Guards, engraved with “Disciplined Professional Vigilant”. The motto at the bottom says “Miles from home and meters from chaos”. I gave him Tom’s pin and told him I would give the coin to Tom upon my return. I was so deeply moved by this experience and will never forget it.

Today is a much needed rest day. We plan to have dinner and watch the sunset on the Red Sea tonight. The Rhythm Road has taken me to places well beyond anything I could have ever imagined in my life!

Jeddah from my balcony