Oriental Odyssey
How’s this for a truly international adventure? During a 10-day gig at the Excelsior Hotel in Hong Kong in 1990, the Natural Gas Jazz Band from California was escorted by Australian Ken Bennett (witty and talented leader of the Kowloon Honkers) to the border of China where they dined on Malaysian cuisine washed down by beer brewed in the Philippines.
Another incident with a foreign flavor occurred when the tuba and banjo failed to arrive at the Hong Kong airport in time for the opening night performance. Now, how in hell do you find a tuba and banjo on really short notice in Hong Kong? Fortunately, Ken Sugarawa, a local businessman and jazz fan who had previously been introduced to NGJB by one of the New Orleans Rascals of Osaka, Japan, loaned us his banjo. The missing tuba was temporarily replaced courtesy of the local Philippine Community Brass Band (the Hong Kong musician’s union was quite strong and membership was about 95% Filipino).
The Kowloon Honkers was a jazz band that played nightly at a famous Kowloon pub called Ned Kelly’s Last Stand. In addition to the Australian leader, the band was comprised of six Filipinos whom we had met and become friends with when they were in California for the Sacramento Jubilee. They graciously hosted a special meal for us one day aboard a huge floating restaurant on Hong Kong bay and we were served many specialty dish
