Belleville West students take language of jazz to Germany
The sounds of Miles Davis, Duke Ellington and Count Basie broke the language barrier when the Belleville West High School Jazz Band performed in four towns in Germany this month.
The band performed at a high school at Ramstein Air Base, Rittersberg High School, Gross-Bieberau and Paderborn. And members, including Clare Behrmann, said they were overwhelmed by the response.
"They don't hear jazz music as much as we do," said Behrmann, 19, a West Belleville alum who attends Lindenwood University in St. Charles, Mo. "They were very appreciative. Lots of applause. We were treated like they had known us."
Twenty-two band members, 11 parents and two other family members of band members left St. Louis on May 31 for a tour that lasted until June 8.
"From my perspective, it (jazz) did not seem to be prominent," said Eugene Behrmann, Clare Behrmann's father. He's treasurer of the Belleville West Music Foundation and went on the trip.
While jazz is performed in Germany, it's not as well know there as in the United States, band director Thomas Birkner said.
"It's certainly more prevalent in our culture on a regular basis," Birkner said. But, he said, "For most audiences in Europe or America, people seem to value the music of the tradition; Duke Ellington and Count Basie by a 17- or 18-piece big band."
People in Paderborn thought the band's concert in their town was noteworthy enough that a local newspaper, Westfalen-Blatt, took note of the visit in a June 9 article. In the story, the students were described as talented. Birkner was praised for his wit, charm and expertise in the history of jazz.
In each community, there was a connection with Belleville West. Gross-Bieberau is the sister city of Millstadt; public school students there attend Belleville West for high school. Paderborn is Belleville's sister city.
Members of the Rittersberg High School Big Band visited Belleville in October 2009. And a college classmate of Birkner now teaches at Ramstein Air Base.
To raise the $2,000 per person needed for the trip, the band held community performances and a dinner auction, Birkner said.
Contact reporter Jim Merkel at 618-344-0264, ext.
Ramstein The Band - News
The sounds of Miles Davis, Duke Ellington and Count Basie broke the language barrier when the Belleville West High School Jazz Band performed in four towns in Germany this month. The band performed at a high school at Ramstein Air Base,
Music by the bands Los Nicos, Ton-Sport and Sheerocks; children's activities, carnival rides, food, prizes and fireworks at 10:30 pm A free shuttle bus will depart from the Northside Chapel parking lot on Ramstein Air Base from 1:30 pm Open to all ID
NATO-Musikfestivals, das morgen im Fritz-Walter-Stadion statt findet, veranstalten das NATO-Hauptquartier der Luftstreitkräfte auf dem Flugplatz Ramstein und die Stadtverwaltung Kaiserlautern wieder ein zusätzliches Platzkonzert.
Die beiden Schirmherren, Kaiserslauterns Oberbürgermeister Dr. Klaus Weichel und der Befehlshaber des Allied Air Command Ramstein General Mark A. Welsh, stimmten eifrig in den Hintergrundchor der über 10.000 Zuschauerinnen und Zuschauer ein.
Es geht um die Wurst: Ramstein--No not the band
&Nbsp; Gasthaus Schöne After a relatively relaxing and uneventful flight we land to a beautifully sunny and warm spring day in Ramstein. It is a small town in the middle of Rheinland-Pfalz not to far away from where I will soon be studying. The first order of business is to find a place to stay that will store my luggage. The airbase has several hotels, but they were all booked. Before we left the U.S., we looked up several pensions and hotels in the area. I decided to call the Gasthaus Schöne because it was family owned and might be more willing to store my luggage. My very odd request of renting a room for the afternoon and storing luggage for a week was granted (we would be leaving on the train that evening so we did not need to stay overnight…one of the repercussions of having to travel Space A was that it threw off our travel plans slightly). While still at the airbase, I found a Vodaphone stand and bought a very simple phone and sim card for the duration of my stay. It included free incoming calls and an international plan to call the U.S. for only five cents a minute. Not too bad, pay as you go. I also searched with no results for a recycling bin. Of course the only place in Germany without a readily available bin would be on an American military base… century barn converted into a pension. The family was endlessly friendly and accommodating, letting us stay in a room for the afternoon for no charge. We visited their restaurant after a shower and rest and were greeted by a special “Schlachtfest” menu. In the past, the farm would always host a slaughter festival and serve special dishes to the neighbors, a tradition they still carry on (without the live slaughtering however). My mom and I shared a bratwurst, Leberknodel (like a meatball made out of liver), and sauerkraut. Jürgen Schöne explained to us how they had to transform the barn into a pension in the 80s because the government made it increasingly impossible for small farmers to operate.
Ramstein The Band - Bookshelf
The School musician director and teacher
1986 Junior High All Star Honor Band SCHOOL Asheville JrH Red Bud Elem Boscobel HS Ramstein JrH Asheville JrH Boscobel HS Wilson Hall MS Winnecone MS ...MILCOM 2003, 2003 IEEE Military Communications Conference
The European split core site (Lago Patria, Italy and Ramstein Germany) takes advantage of existing C- and Ku-Band earth terminals at Ramstein. ...USAFE, a primer of modern air combat in Europe
Ramstein's 3000 acres make it the largest US air base in Europe. lt is also ... deliver US nuclear weapons, to the less apocalyptic 686th Air Force Band. ...Journal of Mennonite studies
Christoph Ramstein. Die Evcmgelische Predigerschule in Basel: Die ... Basler und Berner Studien zur historischen und systematischen Theologie, Band 70. ...Musical Groups from Berlin, Rammstein, Die Ärzte, Bela B. , in Extremo, Farin Urlaub, Wir Sind Helden, Beatsteaks, Mia. , Knorkator, Tanzwut
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