ADVENTURES OF TON ART IN THE LAND OF BOLSHEVIKS :
A PRELUDE TO ...

TON ART (Vienna, Austria) had happened as the quintet (no drums), instead of original sextet, this time in USSR though ... - and was staying rather within improvised "New" concrete idiom instead of any relation to "jazz" due to it.

Some part of the traditional (bop) domestic jazzmen (teachers...) at JazzOnAmur was rather extremely and openly indignant with the TON ART's sounds. Well teachers had have their formative jazz years long ago already, knew their own skills only, had a good old habit of praising the known exclusively ... - and met something vivid and contemporary one to refute the whole their life concept instantly!

Personally, I've got rather really and sincere enjoyed with both the situation and some minutes of TON ART's gentle noise (with "we shall take this your girl onstage with us, OK?") instead... - may I have the reward of my own for all the troubles indeed?

TON ART people were the brave ones to undertake the trip across the huge unknown country just to play for the people fully unknown to them...

Amazed with the wilderness of the place 1 (and say even - an ancient ... - chair in the lobby of Culture House of Soviet Army Officers have broken - right! - under Klaus Peham?), TON ART's manager, female TV-journalist, told with an immediate hot temper: "All people of Vienna would leave their city when they had a "comfort" like yours! ..."

Yes, of course, we would follow the initiative - but where to escape to? We had not other Europe nearby under our immediate disposal, we were just - maybe ... - building it here in USSR ... at Far East ... Well, 300+ years more of the incessant work just to reach the European general (and jazz) XX, '90, probably! etc. Anyhow, pretty funny situation.

I believe, TON ART had obtained a bit of exotic "no more in their lives" experience and the sort of a fun as well. At least their Video 8 tapes of the travelogue were due to reward them (even financially - when were brought to some Viennese TV channel maybe ...) with a bit more than the travel inconvenience (performance fee ...) for the time spent.

This experience turned to be a sort of a prelude to the SHAMS travel through USSR.


1 Say some extensive Spring grease, a tram came off rails due to the rest of an ice etc, and after seeing a steam tearing up from the access points to hot/heating water supply underground communications, particularly.

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