Trump's bar is open...

...and I woke up this morning to the news that the blond man of German extraction who owns it is to be the 45th president of the US and at 72 the oldest ever at the time of election. 

Well, I wouldn't have voted for any of the four, yes there were 4 candidates, but to be on the safe side I visited Trump's bar earlier this year where I took the photo and had lunch overlooking the Atlantic. The food was very reasonably priced and went down well with a blond pint. 

Well, the real reason I came there was that when I was at the Doonbeg International Jazz Festival, I ran out of cash and the 'Trump International Golf Links and 5* Hotel Doonbeg Ireland' has the only 'money printer' (ATM) for many miles around and I was hungry when I got the money.

What has all that got to do with La Gomera, you may ask ? Nothing much except that the fabulous band 'Skazz' who played in La Gomera many times, are based in Doonbeg and were playing at the jazz festival, too.

Part of Donald Trump's 5* Hotel near Doonbeg in Co.Clare, Ireland

Small world !

Skazz in full swing at the TLC festival near Macroom

I was at the phantastic TLC festival in Co.Cork over the weekend and unbelievably bumped into more than 20 people who all had a connection with La Gomera and whom I had met there. Add to that the atmosphere which had a 'Gomeran feel' to it and the band Skazz which has been performing regularly over the past years on La Gomera and it was like a little bit of Gomera in Ireland. If only the weather would have been Gomeran ! Skazz's current bass player is Will who is a resident of Vallehermoso on La Gomera and touring with the band here over the   coming weeks. Another excellent band I met at the festival is called Heavy Billy and George, their drummer, also is a regular visitor to La Gomera. He last played there in Valle Gran Rey with another great band called Coaltraan. 

Heavy Billy gave it all during their set on another stage in a beautiful location in the woods.

Lunchtime ska on Sunday

Popular ska band SKAZZ from Ireland will be playing again on the terrace of the bar in the bus station in Valle Gran Rey on La Gomera tomorrow Sunday Feb.8th 2015 from about 12 noon. It is a free event, but please throw some cash into the hat. If last Sunday is anything to go by (see image below) this will be a fantastic gig, and rumour has it that once again this will be followed by a session with lots of different musicians until sunset. 

Dancing in the dust

Live music is making a bit of a comeback in Valle Gran Rey these days after a long musical drought. There are quite a few events taking place in various venues. Last night the ska band Skazz from Ireland were playing in the sociocultural centre Casa La Familia to a very large enthusiastic crowd of tourists, who were dancing in the dust of the unpaved grounds in their fashionable footwear alongside barefooted hippies. Casa La Familia is a private initiative where homeless people are given food and shelter and it is the best venue by far for live music on La Gomera. It is in the walled yard of a former car rental premises, set back a bit from the coast road between La Playa and La Puntilla, where there are no neighbours to complain about the music. It has some of the old 'La Gomera hippy vibe', but attracts many well-dressed tourists who are looking for something special. Their fantastic generosity and support keeps the place going and the musicians who pass the hat around playing. Last night there were visitors from at least a dozen countries all having a wonderfully good time - see short video.

Regular La Gomera visitors Skazz will be playing at 'Salsa Burger' in La Playa tonight at 8pm, on Tuesday Jan 20th they'll do an acoustic gig in the new 'Cafe del Sol' in the harbour village of Vueltas, and on Sat. 24th of January amplified again in Casa La Familia at 9pm.

               Peter, the charismatic Skazz trumpet player who can sing like 'Satchmo', in action last night.

Let's SKAZZ Again

A short video (it appears blank, but does play when you click the '>' button, bottom left) of Irish band 'Skazz' live at the Valle Luna Festival 2013 on Friday, Jan. 18th, at the Cacatua Bar in Vueltas, Valle Gran Rey, La Gomera. The festival continues until Jan. 27th. Related posts:

• 4th Valle Luna Festival Program(s) 2013
• Mega SKAZZ Gig Tonight
• Valle Luna Festival 2013 Art Event
• Valle Luna Festival 2013 Poster
• Valle Luna Festival 2013 - 'Light' Edition
• 'SKAZZ' live on La Gomera

'SKAZZ' live on La Gomera

Just around a street corner I came across an amazing live act, the likes of which haven't  been seen around here lately. The legislation for (or more precisely,against) live music events in Spain has been enforced more strictly in Valle Gran Rey than anywhere else in the Canaries or in the Spanish Peninsula. All about that in another post another day (long, sad story...). So we were all the more delighted to see a great band live, and about 200 locals and tourists dancing and ALL having a good time...  (Special thanks to Manolo).
 For now I just want to share a video of a most entertaining band: SKAZZ (1 Brit, 2 Irish,
1 Canario + Peter, a German/adopted Irish trumpet player). The lighting is poor, the crowd hasn't arrived yet (and there was a huge crowd dancing a bit later), so this is just a taste of things to come, as the band will be around playing for a good while more with better equipment, doing gigs whenever/wherever 'licensed' in Valle Gran Rey (plus a few spontaneous ones), and also in other towns on La Gomera - so keep an eye out for SKAZZ, if you're holidaying on La Gomera. 
... and NO, I'm not their manager, just lovin' a bit of music - by the way.

<Skazz live

17-11-12 

And here's a press quote on SKAZZ:

'This five piece are the embodiment of the ska movement starting out as a swing and jazz outfit and converting in early 2007 to pure ska vibes. In keeping with their jazz roots, Skazz have chosen the original Jamaican scene Ska of the 1960’s - when Caribbean mento and calypso first met American jazz and rhythm and blues. Fans of the 2 Tone sound of the late 1970’s will feel at home on this dance floor with the added bonus of an education in pre-reggae/rocksteady tempos and cross rhythms. Having already shared stages with the likes of The Skatalites, Prince Buster, The Pioneers, Syramip, Dennis Alcapone, Winston Francis and Delroy Williams, and with dates this year including the Cork Jazz Festival, Electric Picnic and Waterford Spraoi and Bray Jazz Festival, this promises to be a very special event."
Getting everyone into the skanival mood, Skazz will be skanking the weekend away in style. This lively Clare band have appeared at venues all over Ireland, and with rave reviews everywhere have acquired a huge following.'