Bobby Parker and the Blues Night Band boarded their flight a BWI at 6 a.m. Sept. 5. They were bound for Cuba -- to play the jazz festival at Guantanamo Bay Naval Base. After the trip, harmonica player and West Manchester Township native Dane Paul Russell checked back in en route to a show in Washington, D.C., this week. Read more on the jump.
Russell said he and the band arrived at GITMO around 1 p.m. Sept. 5. He said the base was more like a big city. The group stayed in an apartment during the weekend and were "treated like kings," Russell said.
The band was invited to a reception with other musicians at the captain's house. Chieli Minucci & Special EFX and Spyro Gyra were some other group that played the jazz fest.
Sunday, the band toured the area and a few members went scuba diving. Parker said they got to see the gate, which troops patrol 24 hours a day. They learned that the base purifies its own water and gets 30 percent of its power from windmills perched on nearby hills.
"It's a beautiful area," Russell said. "It's kind of like high desert."
Bobby Parker and the Blues Night Band took the stage Monday and performed for about 1,000 troops and their families.
"The crowd response was really good," Russell said. "I wouldn't mind going to Iraq...and do the same thing."
(Photos: Top, Dane Paul Russell, left, plays at Guantanamo Bay. Left, Blues guitarist Bobby Parker entertains troops on Labor Day. Submitted.)
Leave a comment