(I came, I saw, I sang)

By T.N. Tumbusch

Editor's note - Our own SOB (sweet Ol Bill) Bill Martin was a member of the JABS group traveling to Italy in Sept/Oct. The following article was provided to me by Tom Tumbusch of the Cincinnati Delta Kings, who was Bill Martin's room-mate on this trip. The photograph is provided compliments of Danielle Dandrea

In late September and early October of this year, I had the pleasure to tour northern Italy with the Johnny Appleseed Barbershop Singers (JABS). For two magical weeks we tramped around the country discovering its people, art, architecture, and culture, not to mention a great deal of its food and wine.

The JABS are a traveling chorus that tours other lands approximately every three years. Past excursions have visited Australia, England, Ireland, Russia, and most of the European continent. For this tour, 21 men under the direction of Bob McFadden traveled to northern Italy, spreading the joy of barbershop harmony wherever our bus chanced to stop.

We made our homes away from home in Varese (just north of Milan), Florence, and Venice. Along the way we also visited Lake Como, Monterosso (one of the villages of the Cinque Terra), San Gimignano, Siena, Rome, Arezzo, Cortona, Verona, and Lake Garda. Our hotels ranged from the squalid to the palatial, and together we cheerfully survived the language barrier, a country-wide blackout, and the lack of American-style coffee.

Our repertoire was mostly light, upbeat songs, easy to learn and perform. Barbershop classics like "Coney Island Baby" and "Hello Mary Lou" were typical fare. A few ballads, including "Shenandoah" and "Auld Lang Syne", rounded out the list when the acoustic conditions were right. The big hit of the tour, however, was "Nella Vecchia Fattoria", the Italian version of" Old MacDonald". Chorus members created mayhem by imitating the animals named in the song.

A quartet from the Singing Buckeyes was featured in chorus performances under the name Quattrophonics.

More than mere tourists, we performed at some of the most well-known sites in Italy, including the Piazza Signoria in Florence and the Piazza San Marco in Venice. In Rome we sang with members of two native a capella goups, Entropie Arrnoniche and Coro Ana Roma. In addition, we gave numerous impromptu performances wherever we went. These often drew crowds of several hundred people, some crowding close, others leaning out of doors, windows, and even buses. The crowds were a mix of Italians, Americans, Germans, British, French, Japanese, and other nationalities. Many didn't understand English, but their response was always friendly and enthusiastic. In several places cafe' owners gave us wine to thank us for our performances. (their generosity was well-rewarded, since this gesture often convinced many of us that it would be a nice place to stop for lunch.)

It would take several issues of this newsletter to relay all of the stories, jokes, frustrations, and heartwarming experiences of the tour. It seems a shame that more men and their loved ones didn't come with us. Participation fell dramatically this year in the wake of 9/11, and the tours face the risk of being eliminated if new members can't be found to swell the ranks of the chorus. With this in mind, I hope you'll consider joining us for the next tour.

The group, consisting of singers primarily from the Johnny Appleseed District, starts rehearsing immediately after the divisional contest the year before the trip. Rehearsals are usually held in Columbus monthly for six months before the travel. The traveling group includes about an equal number of singers and their traveling companions.

The JABS are already planning for the next trip, tentatively scheduled for 2006. Jake Mandator heads the steering committee. Locations being considered at this time are Spain and Portugal, the Greek Islands, and the Canadian Maritime Provinces. Wherever we go, chords will ring and audiences will smile in every language.

The steering committee will soon be conducting a survey among interested singers to determine the preferred destination, travel times, and other details. If you wish to participate in the survey, tell Jake by e-mail (mandator@sssnet.com), snail mail (Jake Mandator, 1739 Radcliff NW, Massilon, OH 44646) or telephone (330-832-8240) Participation in the survey is not a commitment to take the trip.