Biking home from coffee recently with the Breeze Bandits on a pleasant sunny morning, I fainted or blacked out and crashed, breaking a few ribs. In the painful and boring rehab of the next couple of months I had plenty of time to go trawling through YouTube for interesting music. I found a clip of a drunken Russian accordion player who made an impressive start to Bach’s iconic Toccata and Fugue that dissolved into a silly mess. On a quest for more serious takes on that piece, I came across versions by a brass quintet, Sinfonity and a Glass Harmonica duet. Using the DaVinci video editing app I stitched all of that into a composite that I posted on YouTube as “Bach Toccata Medley“. The brass quintet is from the Royal Concertgebouw. Sinfonity is the world’s first electric guitar symphony orchestra. The 16 members look and dress like a rock band but play the Bach with expression ranging from the delicate and sensitive through to a rampaging barely contained storm and back again. All authentic straight Bach from memory. GlassDuo play on an instrument made with custom made wine glasses which is the largest professional Glass Harp in the world.

The rehab passed quickly enough with the support and encouragement of the Breeze Village community. So, I had the time ferret out more quirky and interesting entertainment on YouTube. Folk, Jazz, Rock, Classic, Choral, Big Band, Blues, Street Music, Gypsy, Comedy and the bizarre. Played an hour-long selection of this stuff in the village cinema as a thank you for my rescuers. And so, the Breeze Music Cafe was born. This session appears now on YouTube as Breeze Music Cafe 2

Now that we are doing less international travel, and on the insistence of the community, less bike riding, there will be more time for simply enjoying the local sunsets, cloud formations and walks along the beach. Certainly, more editions of the Breeze Music Cafe. Please let me know if you would like to be alerted as to their posting on YouTube.