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Program and Events 2008

Swing Band performing
Swing Band performing

American Swing Band “Central Park Stompers” Share their Love of Music with Audiences in the West Bank and Jerusalem

The U.S. Consulate General in Jerusalem brought the American swing music band “The Central Park Stompers” to Jenin, Bethlehem, Ramallah, Al Azarieh, and Jerusalem for a fun-filled four-day concert tour from Monday, August 4 to Thursday, August 7.

 
Even if you’ve never heard the term “swing,” you’re probably familiar with swing music!  Some famous swing musicians are Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Benny Goodman, and Louis Armstrong.  Well-known rock ‘n rollers like Elvis Presley and Chuck Berry often incorporated swing in their songs. So what is swing, exactly?  It’s a traditional and well-loved American musical form that developed in the 1930’s and has roots in jazz and African rhythms. It’s a fun, rhythmic type of music that gets your toes tapping and hands clapping!

The Central Park Stompers have toured throughout the United States, thrilling crowds with their high-energy blend of jazz and swing, but their concert tour in the West Bank and Jerusalem marked their first-ever international concert tour. They kicked off their visit in Jenin on Monday, August 4, where they held a workshop with 80 music students from the district of Jenin and then performed a concert for the students and their families. Both events were held at the Haddad Tourist Village in Jenin, in cooperation with Relief International. 

  
On Tuesday, the band traveled to Beit Jala in the morning for a workshop with 70 music and drama students at the Beil Al-leqa’ Community Center, in cooperation with the Inad Theater in Beit Jala.  That evening starting at 7:00, they performed for a full house at the Peace Center in Bethlehem, in a public concert coordinated with the Bethlehem Academy of Music.  Wednesday brought the Central Park Stompers to Ramallah, for a workshop with over 30 music students and musicians at the Arab Evangelical School organized in cooperation with Al Kamandjati and the Ministry of Culture.  That evening, the band members jammed with musicians at the Sabreen Association for Artistic Development, learning from each other’s techniques and drawing on their different traditions to create a unique and beautiful Palestinian-American musical fusion. On Thursday, the band started the day with a mini-concert and workshop with 40 children from a local orphanage and social services center at the Jeil Al-Amal Center in Al-Azarieh. 

That evening, the Central Park Stompers capped their activity-filled tour with a nighttime concert for the public at Borderline Restaurant in East Jerusalem, beginning at 9:00 PM. The Central Park Stompers have five band members:  vocalist Aria Hendricks, pianist Michael Kanan, bass player Andrew Hall, drummer Stefan Schatz, and saxophonist Michael Hashim.  Since their debut in 1995 at a club in Hartford, Connecticut, the Central Park Stompers have been dazzling audiences at swing clubs, performing arts centers, music festivals, museums, and colleges throughout America.  They have appeared on TV and have recorded two albums, “The Central Park Stompers” and “Bad Girl Shoes.”

For more information, go to www.myspace.com/centralparkstompers.

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