I N - T H I S - I S S U E :

Bird of Paradise Orchestra Goes España

he Bird of Paradise Orchestra conducted a concert tour in Spain in late November. Leader and bassist Paul Keller reported that the trip "really brought the band together as a family — as only an international tour can. I was so proud of the Orchestra and how great they sounded. What a great bunch of cats!" Keller is no stranger to international tours, having traveled with Diana Krall a few years back.

"The concert promotion agency we were working for did a fantastic job of advertising and promoting the concerts," said Keller. "We played one small concert in Tarragona, and two huge concerts, one in Barcelona, one in Madrid. Attendance was 2,400 people in Madrid!"

Trumpeter Chris Case rejoined the band for the tour. He moved to New York some years ago and more recently relocated to Madrid. Several of Case's interesting arrangements are part of the regular BOPO book. Another great resource for the band was singer Susan Chastain. Her skills in Spanish came in handy, not only when it came to dealing with the practicalities like housing and traveling, but also on stage, where she had a special advantage in communicating with the audience. According to Keller, when Chastain sang "What A Difference A Day Made" with its original Spanish lyrics, the crowd went wild.

It is a rare opportunity these days to be able to travel with a 16-piece band in Europe, and, given the great turnout, BOPO might be able to do it again.

The Bird of Paradise band plays regularly at the Ann Arbor club with the same name on Monday nights. Starting time is now 9 p.m. On January 5th and 6th, 2001, the band will celebrate its twelfth anniversary at the Bird.

Above right: Paul Keller at the Roman Amphitheater in Tarragona Left: Taking a walk in Tarragona, (from left) tenorist Steve Wood, trombonist Brooks Barnes, altoist Keith Kaminski, and pianist Ellen Rowe.

photographs by Pam Klinger and Paul Keller

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