Our Small World....

[laughingwillow]

I might have posted this story about Dror years ago at spf. However, I feel compelled to tell it once again, as the spiral has gotten a little tighter, imo.

While shopping online for hand drums the other day, I peeped an old bookmark of a company from which I'd actually bought one of my current favorite drums. So I was kind of excited to see what they were currently carrying. However, while looking at their home page I saw a familiar name. After clicking the line, I saw a picture of an old friend who used to make drums and sell them out of the back of his van. And now it turns out that Dror owns the company in question and actually imported and sold me my current favorite doumbek. We have a house full of drums of all shapes and sizes, yet the only one that makes it to all the gigs I've been playing of late is the little copper doumbek I unknowingly bought from Dror's store years back online......    

Anyway, I was driving through an old but flourishing neighborhood yesterday with a little time and the inclination to check out a few hand drums. So I stopped in front of the new age clothing/book/incense/drum shop and made my way inside for the first time in a long time. I eventually found a copper doumbek imported by Dror and his company Rhythm Fusion out of Santa Cruz CA. I mentioned to the owner of the store that I'd known Dror back in the days he was making and selling drums out of the back of his van at dead shows and other festivals. Anyway, the shop owner took me back into her living quarters and showed me a little frame drum (tar) that Dror had sold her fifteen years back. The little drum was beautifully made and sounded great as I tapped out a little rhythm with me fingers on the edge of the skin. Playing Dror's frame drum conjured up a story I felt compelled to tell Jo......

Back in the late 80's I met Dror and ended up with a few of his hand drums and took a couple of lessons with him. I brought a few drums to a jam at Laguna Seca after a dead show one night. Somebody "borrowed" a little ceramic doumbek, played it for awhile and then made off with my drum when I wasn't paying attention. And as there were 10's of thousands of people camping out and wandering through the vendor's isles, there was little hope of ever seeing that little doumbek again. So I wrote it off as a lesson learned.  

A couple of months later, I crossed paths with Dror and he had a crazy story for me.... It turns out that he was also part of that throng of tripsters milling about on Shakedown Street the night my little drum was nicked. He said he recognized the ceramic doumbek as his own creation but didn't recognize the bruiser of a fellow carrying it. (Dror isn't much over 5' tall.) However, he somehow eventually convinced the guy to give him the little drum so he could get it back to it's rightful owner. (me :>) Two months later i heard his story and actually had the drum back in my possession the next time we came across each other.

Jo knows Dror. She took a few lessons from him back in the 90's and has been buying and reselling drum's Dror imports ever since. She's always known him as the owner of a successful brick and mortar shop as well as internet vendor. I've only known him, until recently, as an itinerant drum maker/vendor/teacher. Turns out Dror is getting away from importing and selling drums to do more playing and for that I doff my hat......

lw

[judih]

so cool
at first i was hoping that your Dror would be my Dror who was the manager of G (my partner)'s jazz band for awhile back in Herzliya, Israel in '81.  Dror has a hearing problem and it would be way surprising to learn he was creating drums.
In any case, small world! and how wonderfully cool to bump into such circles of acquaintance.

[laughingwillow]

Hey, judih... That would make it a small woild.

Btw, his full name is Dror Sinai and he is from Israel.

lw

[laughingwillow]

So, I was poking around the internets the other day and came across the page of a guy who makes/repairs drums in Milwaukee named Abdulhamid Alwan. I have a couple of drums that need to be repaired, and I'd like to find a doumbek with a fish skin head. (He makes 'em) Anyway, I was taking a closer look at our drums and it turns out that he actually made and signed a couple of them back in the mid 90's, including one needing repair. Turns out mrs lw is jazzed about visiting Milwaukee, the home of Laverne and Shirley. Schlameal, schlamizel........

lw

[judih]

drums = world peace
make the word smaller
play it, lw

& enjoy milwaukee - what a great name for a town

[laughingwillow]

Thanks for the kind words, sistah-j.

I wanted to post this bit in the groove, but it fits here, now.......

My local guitar hero finally ran out of likely suspects to accompany him on gigs. (One drummer friend moved, another died, etc.) So I finally got the call a couple of months back. We've been playing his originals acoustic as well as some obscure old country/reggae/blues/dead. I'm really enjoying myself and the audiences seem to like what we do. Heck, I've even been getting paid! hahahahaha

lw

[JRL]

Thanks for the kind words, sistah-j.

I wanted to post this bit in the groove, but it fits here, now...... I'm really enjoying myself and the audiences seem to like what we do. Heck, I've even been getting paid! hahahahaha

lw

Watch out, that's how it starts. Pretty soon you won't be good for any kind of real job.

PS. You guys need a bass player?

[laughingwillow]

LOL Yes, we need a bassie, Count Joe.

lw

[judih]

all the rumours are founded on fact! yes, go, lw.
as for why the hell not - you and count jrl would be a spirits dream come true

[JRL]

lw, tell me when, where and how much!