We Are MultiMedia - Hofbräuhaus News

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Winterfest Dance, Sat., Feb. 11 , 2006, Maple Leaf -Almrausch Club Pin Night
featured the “Souper Jazz” Band - A Charity Band
by Sander Mommers
“Souper Jazz” is a jazz band consisting
of non-professional volunteer musicians.
The band is a registered charity organization
which raises funds for soup kitchens and
food banks in the Ottawa area.
“Souper Jazz” was started in 1986 by
Bob Jadis, now retired and living in
Vancouver. In 1988, the band was
incorporated as a registered charity under
the name Souper Jazz Inc. At first glance,
Souper Jazz may seem like any other band
as we perform in public places and at
private functions, but there is one important
difference. We give away all funds we
receive through our activities to help the
less fortunate in our city. The musicians
and all other people involved in the band are
volunteers and nobody gets paid.
As one type of our activities we organize
fundraising performances in shopping malls
or other public places, and arrange for some
volunteers with collection cans, in order to
give the audience an opportunity to donate.
On such occasions, the organization we are
raising funds for, is prominently announced
and displayed, and we typically collect
around $1,000 at these events.
When the band is "hired" for a private
function, our charitable cause is less visible,
but we still donate our "fee" to a soup
kitchen or food bank.
The band has been operating as a charity
band for 20 years now, and in this period it
has raised almost $500,000 for our cause.
Although the Shepherds Of Good Hope on
Murray Street has been the main recipient,
there are others who benefit. We try to
keep the funds in the community where
they were raised. If we organize a
fundraising show in Orleans, for example,
the proceeds will go to the Gloucester
Emergency Food Cupboard, since they are
in that area. The recipient is always a food
bank or soup kitchen because we feel that
food is the most basic need people have.
Twenty years is a long time, and the
volunteer musicians have changed over
time. Every new band member has brought
us new tunes and ideas, but the main
musical focus has remained in the 1920's
and 30's, with "seasonal excursions"
around Christmas time. None of us are
experts at public relations or marketing, and
that is perhaps why despite our 20 years of
existence we are not very well known in
Ottawa.
Bob Jadis once said: "In a lifetime, you
don't often get a chance to make a
difference". The souper jazz volunteers got
that chance and took it.
HBH Footnote: An entertaining evening with a
dedicated volunteer charity jazz band! We hope to
see them again at the MLA club.
John Mitchell - trumpets, Doug Jacques - trombone
Dan Quinlan - drums, Gordon McGray - guitar,
25 year pin left to right; Kaethe Krezmer, Mary
Krekeler, Helmut Krekeler and Winfried Hillebrand.
New Members Pin left to right; Martin Pandel, Monika Holst, Willi
Holst, Karin Slominski, Paul Slominski, and Ashok Sardana
10 - The Hofbräuhaus News March - April 2006
Dez Bailey-vocals, Ken Backwell -
Harmonica & musical director
Ted Houghton - tuba
Hartley Cowley - piano
Left to Right; Edith and Ludwig Kuntz, Dr. Regine
Sardana, and Oldrich Vlcek