Just the fact that it even happened could be the lead story of this festival. Israel is a small country about the size of New Jersey. While music of all kinds is part and parcel of daily life, most Israeli jazz belongs to the modern variety. New Orleans and Trad Jazz have about five bands regularly playing in the genre. Creating a world-class New Orleans-themed happening means reaching out internationally for talent with all the associated cost. Yet this is exactly what happened. Ziv Ben, the man behind the Festival, belongs to a rare breed: an accomplished musician with an excellent entrepreneurial bent.
Following on the success of the first festival last year, he brought musicians drawn from Hungary, France, Cuba, Switzerland, Norway, the UK, New Orleans, New York, and Israel who combined to offer 27 separate sets.
His collaborator as Artistic Director was Eyal Vilner. Israeli born Vilner is, in his own right, a brilliant musician known for his outstanding arrangements. He plays a leading role in the New York Jazz scene with his own Eyal Vilner Big Band.
The result was three days of pulsating music from solo piano to swinging ensembles, gospel, blues, and big band. In addition to the official sets offered in the auditoriums of the Tel Aviv Museum of Art, every evening saw free open-air performances on the outside plaza with hundreds of people joining the swing dancing as well as
