If you follow Chicago Musician regularly, you know it's been a hot minute since I posted a new episode, so I address some of the reasons for that. I'll give you a hint: it has to do with the color orange, and consequently, I have some politics to 'unpack' (as the more popular podcasts say).

First, we travel.

In February I went to New Zealand, including Auckland and Wellington, and then spent another ten days in Australia. I got to see quite a bit of the southeastern part of the continent starting with a good 6 days in Sydney. Even had dinner and lovely evening with chocolate queen, Kirsten Tibballs, so sometimes, the stars just align. Brisbane was next followed by 4 days in Melbourne, while a day trip to the Great Ocean Road was a real highlight (see Helicopter). Both countries are very beautiful and welcoming. The weather was hot (summer Down Under!), however a nice change from February in Chicago.

I attended some great concerts again this year. I'll talk about a few of the highlights, with names like Cyndi and Wynonna involved. I even played a concert. What the what what??!

After a year of silence, I have to blow off some steam about the shit show that is currently our country. And we'll talk about a path forward. Or if there is one. How do we stop this authoritarian regime before it's too late? Or is it already too late? I'm semi-hopeful about our country outliving yam tits and his clown show, but only semi.

Not everything is bleak in this episode, but we definitely have shit to talk about. Hold on! 2025: What the . . ?

Photo Journey

https://sksyphotos.smugmug.com/Travel/New-Zealand---Australia-25/Sydney

Bassist Tom Mendel has had a long and storied career as a bass player. He has been ‘based’ (pardon the pun) in Chicago for decades. He’s played in the pit for long running shows like ‘Lion King’, ‘Wicked’, ‘Hamilton’, ‘Moulin Rouge’, ‘Billy Elliott’, ‘Kinky Boots’, and many more. But his music has taken him all over the country. He has toured with the likes of Lainie Kazan. He’s played club dates with Christine Ebersole, Mandy Gonzalez, Hollis Resnik, to mention just a few. Tom has also recorded extensively, playing hundreds of jingles in Chicago’s recording houses. He’s also played numerous sessions from Los Angeles to New Orleans to New York.

Tom has also been an advocate for union musicians for decades. Much of that work was for those who make their livings playing in the theatre musicians. In fact, he was an early member of the Theatre Musicians Association. He served 7 years as the president of the Chicago chapter, before spending 5 years as the national president of TMA. Tom has also worked on many union committees, negotiating contracts for higher wages and better working conditions with Chicago theatres, as well as for touring musicians. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg as far as his work on behalf of performing professionals.

But Tom is more than ‘just’ a musician. He’s also a Master Scuba instructor, a yoga enthusiast, and is not only a proud father, but has recently joined the ranks of his favorite new title: grandpa!

Basis for bassist

I first met Tom in 1987 when I joined the cast of Chicago’s longest running musical up until that time, ‘Pump Boys & Dinettes’. We performed that show together for nearly three years at Chicago’s Apollo Theatre. We’ve been good friends ever since. We know each other’s family and have shared the best and worst of those times. Professionally, we’ve had the good fortune to work together many times over the years. And because the world of pit musicians is not that big, we have a lot of friends and colleagues in common.

‘Bassist Tom Mendel’ is just the jumping off point for this conversation. Come check out this friendly chat between two good friends. I think you’ll enjoy getting to know this admirable and accomplished man.

See more on Instagram. @mendelmusic

Chapters

• (00:00:05) - Introducing Tom Mendel
• (00:02:14) - Tom Joins In
• (00:02:44) - Pump Boys, of course
• (00:10:04) - Louisiana Days

CFM president, BJ Levy is my blockbuster guest to kick off Season 3 on Chicago Musician. BJ had a long career as a professional trumpet player. He studied at Indiana University and then DePaul University where he received his Master's in Jazz Studies. But the majority of his career was spent playing in the pit for Broadway musicals. We talk about the unforgiving nature of being a lead trumpet player, plus the physical demands of playing 8 shows a week. Like many of us, BJ started off playing in his high school band, but his unique journey has some interesting twists and turns.

CFM President BJ Levy

The biggest shift in BJ's career started with a phone call. He was asked to run for the musicians union board of directors. As it turned out, that call was just the first stepping stone on his path to greater things. First, he was elected Secretary/Treasurer. Then, after a bumpy transition and contentious election, BJ won the contest for president. I was really interested in what being the president of a large union actually entails. Some of his duties are fairly predictable, but others are more nuanced and even surprising. We get into the weeds a little bit about negotiating contracts and the art of negotiating. BJ calls it coalition building. He also calls this 'the best job he's ever had'.

But it's not all union talk. We check in on some of our favorite streaming shows and other things the Prez does to relax in his down time. There might be a surprise or two in there, so stick around till the end!

More Info

If you'd like more information about the Chicago Federation of Musicians, here's a link to their website: cfm10208.com
For photos of BJ and more, click on Shawn's Photos on the bestshawnstengel.com website or follow this link: https://sksyphotos.smugmug.com/Music/Chicago-Musician-Podcast-Pix

A visit to Mumbai is on tap for Part 3 of my Indian adventure, Mumbai Bye. Part 2 ended with us still in Jammu & Kashmir. We flew out of Srinagar, in view of the Himalayas and all their glory. Delhi still has some secrets to reveal, and we make the most of our last day and a half there. Some times with Mr. Sam, and some times adventuring out on our own.

We visit Gandhi Smriti where Mahatma Gandhi spent the final days of his life. He was assassinated in the nearby garden. Some shopping at Dilli Haat was in the cards before a memorable evening visit to Gurudwara Bangla Sahib with Mr. Sam.

On Thursday, Gisele and I had our last day of exploring Delhi on our own. We tuk-tukked and metro-ed to Safdarjang's Tomb. Aggressive monkeys were the story at Hanuman Mandir. Serenity and an odd 'amusement park' held our interest at Birla Mandir. But the serenity was short lived. What does one do on Eid in Delhi? Why, go to the Jama Masjid with all the rest of the muslims, of course! So back on the metro we hop. When we hop off, we're not sure of where we are. But a wild tuk-tuk ride got us to the mosque, and in no time, we were Instagram celebrities, at least in other peoples' selfies with us. Many, many selfies! And the topper of our day were the crowds near the Red Fort. Huge, epic, masses of humanity. The essence of India!

But before leaving India, we need to see its largest city, Mumbai. Totally different from Delhi, Mumbai, formerly called Bombay, has a vibe all its own. Being on the ocean, it's not only super hot, but also super humid. If you blink, you sweat! And even in the crush of people, it often seems calmer than Delhi. But not less interesting. The remnants of British rule are everywhere, from the Gateway to India, the Prince of Wales Museum and the Queen Victoria train station, to the fabled, infamous, and luxurious Taj Mahal Hotel.

We took a ferry ride out to the Elephanta Caves, and had a mind blowing tour guided by a local resident, of the World's Third Largest Slum, Dharavi. A city of glaring contradictions and super friendly people. It was hard to say Mumbai Bye!

That's right, Mumbai Bye India. I look forward to returning to this endlessly fascinating Asian giant.

Links to photos at bestshawnstengel.coms and click on Shawn's Photos

‘Still India’ picks up where I left off after the ‘So I went to India. . .’ episode (Cadenza #5). My Indian adventure continues with a full hot day back in New Delhi. Then we go exploring a little farther afield. We fly north to Amritsar which is the home of the iconic Golden Temple of the Sikhs. Just to the west we visit the truly bizarre flag lowering ceremony at the Wagah Border where India and Pakistan meet. You’ll want to hear about this mind-blowing experience where soldiers from two countries that dislike each other immensely strut and kick and pound their chests in front of stadiums full of cheering crowds. And then they peacefully lower their flags for the night. It is a singular experience.

Amritsar, in the Indian state of Punjab, also is home to the Partition Museum. It tells the story of how modern day India and Pakistan were formed as the British Raj withdrew from the country after 150 years of colonial rule. Plus don’t miss the Jalian Wala Bagh memorial, which commemorates a tragic military episode from the colonial era.

Up to Kashmir

Then we’ll take a short, gorgeous flight up to Srinagar which sits beside beautiful Dal Lake in the foothills of the Himalayas in the still disputed Kashmir region. Boy is there a lot of history, a lot of natural beauty and a lot of Indian Army soldiers here. It was so interesting just to gain a small appreciation for the conflicts that have haunted this region for hundreds of years.

When you’re in Srinagar, you must stay on a houseboat, and we did. Come here why that is a ‘thing’ in this far north city in the state of Jammu & Kashmir. The people were friendly and the air was cool and clear. A welcome change of pace from hot, hectic Delhi.

Soooooo many photos at
https://sksyphotos.smugmug.com/Travel/India-24

Join us and see how we negotiated the mega cities of New Delhi and Mumbai. What do we mean when we say 'We did the Golden Triangle'? How pink is the Pink City, Jaipur? Are there really one and a half billion people there? How's the traffic? Is it expensive? What the heck is a tuk-tuk? Did we suffer from 'Delhi Belly'?

As I say in the intro, India is a lot of a lot of lot on top of a lot more. India is a lot of people, a lot of history, a lot of color, a lot of beauty, a lot of filth, a lot of poverty, a lot of food, a lot of traffic, a lot of contradictions, a lot of variety, a lot of religions, and on and on. So come along and get a sense of what this mind-blowing country is about. The tip of the iceberg for sure. But ya gotta start somewhere. We started in New Delhi.

Make sure you check out my photos at sksyphotos.smugmug.com I've already posted many photos there and I'll be adding more for months to come. There are many different galleries in India'24 and those galleries are tucked away in the Travel folder. Many other trips there too. Feel free to nose around and see some other parts of the world I've been lucky enough to visit.