Ethan Weisgard World Jazz Monthly

I have been on tour in Denmark with the Danish Radio Big Band (this is the name we will be using from now on, instead of the Danish Radio Jazz Orchestra). I just came home yesterday.
I see that you have found my Aikido site, too.
http://www.aikido-iwama-ryu.dk/UK/KAK/Mediearkiv_KAK_UK.html
http://www.malmoaikido.org/pages/gb/iwamascan.htm
Yes, I have been training Aikido since 1976 (the same year that I started in the Big Band), and I went to Japan for the first time in 1984. This was when I met my wife. I was staying as "uchi-deshi" at the Aiki Shuren Dojo in the little town of I wama, practicing under my Sensei, Saito Morihiro.I am still very active in Aikido,it is as important to me as my music.
I really do love your country, its culture and its people!

If everything goes well, the Danish Radio Jazz Orchestra will have our next album released on the Blue Note record label. I hope this will come true!
Being on Blue Note will give us a possibility in the future of maybe coming to Japan to play at the Blue Note Jazz Clubs.
We are going on tour with the DRBB to Toronto Canada in January. We will play with Jim McNeely as conductor and Renee Rosnes as the featured soloist. She is a fantastic Canadian jazz pianist, maybe you have heard her already? This will be a promotion tour for the new CD with Jim and Renee.
There is a big festival event in Toronto. It is the organisation called IAJE (International Association of Jazz Educators) that will be holding its yearly event. Many famous artists come each year. All together there will be 7000 people at the event. Quincy Jones is one of the guests of honor.
We will also play two concerts in Boston, and one or two concerts in New York.

I hope to come to Japan this year with my family. If we come to Kyoto I hope we can meet.
Please keep up the good work!
Sincerely,

Ethan Weisgard
December 17. 2002