August 2015: Music & Arts Days begin at Ashé; container of goods reaches FEPE

How glad we are to be doing Music & Arts Days at the Ashé Cultural Arts Center in New Orleans! Our first at the Ashé is Saturday, August 22, between 2:00 and 4:00 in the afternoon. We come back again on Saturdays September 26 and

October 24.

Sticking Up For Children's Music & Arts Days bring children and parents togther to turn drumsticks into art-work with paint-pens--to make donated drumsticks

art that then is sold to fund our Beneficiaries in Haiti and New Orleans.

Music & Arts Days are always surprising and fun! The creativity that emerges! The exchanges of information and discovery between parents and adults!

Drumsticks-as-art painted by 5-year-old Alcee Poincenot at Music & Arts Day on August 10, 2013; now in

the Music Room of the Duendé restaurant in Oakland, CA through owner and chef Paul Canales.

Alfred Roberts teaching three at Music & Arts Day on July 12, 2014. Photo by Paul Punzo.

Then there are our stalwart and expert drummers. Their patterns invariably vary; they're true improvisers. On August 22 we'll have back Alfred Roberts, Johnny Vidacovich, Alexey Marti of Cuba, and Damas Louis (Fanfan) of Haiti. New to the Day will be Cole Williams, recently moved to New Orleans from New York City. Guest speaker will be Evan Christopher, whom Ahmet Ertegun called the "greatest living clarinetist

and one of the greatest of all time."

The D'Addario Foundation will supply us with Pro Mark drumsticks and

brushes and caps as raffle-prizes for the young musicians attending.

Food will be great and beverages plentiful. In short, another of the old

Music & Arts Day, but this one in the completely sympathetic environs

and its many good works. See the 'Ashe to Amen' art-show ongoing.

Also this month--and most important, of course--the 40-foot-long container reached students at the Foyer Espoir Pour les Enfants orphanage in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. Marie-Jo shepherded it there from

New Orleans to Miami and then over the Caribbean to home! What a

champion of most worthy recipients!

We have to thank Frey Vineyards again, long-time distance-running friend Jim Van Dine, and my band-mate in the GALLOP Trio, guitarist

and composer Alex de Grassi, for enabling contributions during the

past month!