Drum Fantasy Camp ran two amazing events in
2019! The first was Access Cuba with Dave
Weckl. We then ran our annual camp in
Chicago. Here is a recap of both events!
AccessCuba with Dave Weckl January 13-18, 2019
Havana, Cuba
Twenty four attendees joined legendary drummer
Dave Weckl for AccessCuba!
Our group, with attendees from all over the world,
joined Dave for five days of musical exchanges and
site visits in Havana. Attendees came from the U.S.,
Canada, Romania, Sweden, Japan, and Lebanon!
Dave and Drum Fantasy Camp director Steven Orkin
arrived in Havana on January 12. Things started
bright and early on the 13th with an all-day
rehearsal. Dave rehearsed with bands lead by
Janio Abreu Morcate (saxophone) and
Ruy Lopez Nussa (drums). Dave had learned
five songs for Janio's band and two that included
Janio and Ruy's bands together.
After a day of rehearsal, Dave and his wife joined
Steve and the rest of the group at the Riviera
hotel. Everyone enjoyed drinks and socializing
before going to dinner. It was a great way to kick
off this amazing adventure!
On the second day, the group visited the
National Concert Band of Cuba. This amazing and
historic band allowed us to observe their rehearsal.
Eventually, the band director invited Dave to sit in
with them. Dave jumped on a small Yamaha kit in the
pecussion section and was presented with charts for
a medley of American rock songs and also a jazz
tune. Dave read the charts and wowed everyone with
his immediate mastery of the tunes. There's a great
group shot of Dave and the band in the photo album
(above).
After a delicious lunch with the group, Dave headed
over to La Zorra y El Cuervo (The
Fox and the Raven), a famous jazz club in Havana.
Dave performed with Janio's band for the first set of
the night - and they brought the house down with an
amazing show! Later that evening, Dave, his wife,
sound engineer Dennis Moody, and Steven Orkin enjoy
a night of salsa dancing in Havana!
On the third day, Dave and the group visited the
National School of the Arts. The
school is home to the most talented music students
in Cuba, and the group we saw did not disappoint!
While at the school, we watched big band performance
made up of high school-level players. Of course, the band
director asked Dave to sit in and this created a very
memorable moment! The horn players were incredible. Afterward, Dave said
that this was the BEST big band he ever played with!
While our group enjoyed an afternoon with the
drummers/dancers of Compas Dans,
Dave and Janio's band set up at the lovely
Teatro de Bellas Artes - located in the
Fine Arts Museum in old Havana. In
the evening, our group joined Dave for a nighttime
concert.
Day four featured a special treat: riding in
Havana's classic cars up the Malecon (the main coast
road). The group
spent an hour walking around the historic El
Morro Castle - enjoying unbelievable scenic
views and learning the history of the beautiful
structure.
While the group enjoyed the San Jose Market,
Dave set up for his final concert at a huge concert
hall called Mella Theatre. In the
evening, the group joined for this large concert,
which featured Dave's performance with Janio's group
- and a special encore with both Janio and Ruy's
groups. 13 additional drummers joined Dave and Ruy
for a memorable percussion jam!
Afterward: Dave and the other musicians attended a
reception for all the musician involved with
Havana's jazz festival. Dinner and dancing took
place at the historic Nacional Hotel, where part of
The Godfather: Part Two was filmed. The after party:
hanging out with the amazing Horacio "El
Negro" Hernandez at his condo in Havana
(also with Janio and Dennis Chambers)!
On the final day, non-drummers in the group went to
Fusterlandia, an incredible ceramic
village in Havana. The drummers joined Dave at for a
drum clinic. Dafnis Prieto began the afternoon with
a one hour clinic. Dave went on after Dafnis - and
the two played together to close out the event!
Everyone enjoyed a fabulous dinner at a paladar in
Havana before exchanging contact information and
parting ways!
drumFantasy.19 August 9-13, 2019
Chicago, IL
Drum Fantasy Camp 2019 was
a year of "firsts" and lasts. We welcomed some
amazing first-time instructors, but it was our last
camp in Chicago.
New to the DFC roster were three of the industry's
best drummers: Dennis Chambers,
Chad Wackerman, and Gergo
Borlai. On bass, Janek Gwizdala
made his first appearance at DFC!
Returning to DFC for the tenth time was
Steve Smith! Vocalist Chrissi
Poland, keyboard player Stu
Mindeman, and guitar player Vinny
Valentino returned as part of our all-star
band!
The camp kicked off with explosive opening concert
at Martyrs' music club! Chad Wackerman and Gergo
Borlai each played a set with the band. The next
four days were filled with all-day classes and
nightly jams. Attendees got up to play at those
jams. It was a lot of fun!
The last night of the camp featured a closing
concert back at Martyrs'. Dennis Chambers took the
first set and Steve Smith took the second. The duet
at the end was epic!
