PRAISE & TESTIMONIALS FOR
Banana Puddin'
A Jazz Jam and Open Mic
Dear Rome ,
Thank you for yesterday's great night. My girlfriend and I enjoiyed ourselves a lot and did not see the time go by. The poem that was composed was also amazing. I am looking forward to received your e- mail for it.
Take care and thank you again !
-Anasma
WOW! What more can I say?
- John D. Smith
CLICK HERE TO CHECK OUT A GREAT REVIEW OF ROME NEAL'S BANANA PUDDIN'
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Hi,
OK, it was FABULOUS my friend and I enjoyed it throughly. I especially enjoyed the ambience and the eclectic mix of people. It's nice to know that you are out there plugging away for the music
you love and want to share it with others.
I hope to attend more of your promotions. How's that?
tks again
-Sandra
READ
TWO great reviews of Banana Puddin in
The Amsterdam News!
Greetings, Folks

Last week's Banana Puddin' Jazz Jam and Open Mic evening can only be labeled as "An Experience"...
I have to draw a limit here. Friends are asking me already, how am I going to "Top" January 5, 2008 Banana Puddin' Jazz and Jam Experience. And all I can say is: Please don't put that kind of pressure on me. Let's just pick up where we left off and move on.

As I told you my motto now is : "Pack The House'. Last week's Banana Puddin' Jazz Jam Evening broke the record for having the largest audience to attend a banana puddin' jazz evening. People were actually waiting on line in the light rain to get in. What a way to start off the New Year!!! Martha Redbone admitted to us that she was a virgin; this being her first time singing jazz in concert. One would never know. The sister was marvtastic and she has such a diverse following including a lovely 90 year old white couple who makes it a point to catch all her shows in New York. And Onaje Allan Gumbs is simply put, one of the Gods of Jazz. With his band consisting of George Gray on drums and Marcus McLaurine on bass they blew the roof off the joint. It was JAZZ at its best!

Jim and Dave of Parlor Jazz in Brooklyn were in the house, as well as Ahmed Abdullah, trumpeter/composer/ educator and the musical director of Sister's Place in Brooklyn. When you have producers of the music in the house like these cats and they congratulate you with big smiles on their faces like you have just won a championship at the Olympics. It's a great feeling!

I would like to thank DJ Gatsby for his superb mix of music during the intermissions. At one point he had Charles Rogers from the Amsterdam News up dancing to an awesome Salsa jam. I would also like to thank Willie Correa for making the whole evening sound so banana puddin' sweet. Thank you Perri Gaffney for reading the Banana Puddin' Jazz Jam Poem (at my request); you were wonderful. And then coming back to read an excerpt from your novel just had everyone mesmerized. Thank so very much to Mfergu and his trio who held down the Jam Session part of the evening, not missing a beat from what had just preceded.... A special shout out to the open mic singers, Jessie Reiss, Hambone Jennie, Roanna, Steve Cromity, Carol and Diava and the poets Lourdes, Stacey, and Rodney. Thank you to Anasma, (the featured dancer of my last banana puddin' jazz jam). She's my kind of featured guest, who had such a wonderful time the last time she came back with the troops. Some would call what she does belly dancing; however, I prefer to call it what she calls it, World Dance Fusion.

I apologize for introducing Ken Spider Webb as G. Keith Alexander.
It was such an hilarious moment for me. After I made the introduction Phil Young (drummer extraordinaire) gave me this look and I couldn't understand what he was trying to say to me. Then I turn to Onaje, who rolls his eyes up to the top of his head. And when the name error is corrected and Ken comes up to the stage to introduce Onaje, I give him a hug and he whispers in my ear, "I'll get you for this". All in fun!! Ken Spider Webb during the early seventies thru the late nineties was one of the hottest radio personalities on the radio, playing the best in soul music on such stations as WBLS-FM, KISS-FM, WWRL-AM, WLIB-AM and even CD101.9. Ken is still hot in radio, now on the internet with his own radio station, www.kenwebb.com. Look out for his coverage of this Marvtastic night at Banana Puddin' Jazz.