We also do workshops in schools in the U.S., so don’t hesitate to be in touch!

This weekend, we were invited to play as part of the Ecuador Jazz Festival at Quito’s Teatro Sucre, a gorgeous old theater (circa 1880) that was recently refurbished.

Jesse and I played an opening set (with Samuel, Katie, and Matt), and then joined the big band from USFQ under the direction of Jay Byron. Special guest: Jeff Galindo from Boston!

We arrived in “Centro Historico” a bit early to walk around and catch the sights.

I particularly liked this store, which sells both donuts and shoes. Yes! All of my dreams come true.

In Quito, the bus stops are enclosed structures; you pay at a turnstile and then wait for the bus inside:

And scaffolding seems to have come from another century (and not the last one, either):

Hey, if you’re gonna stick out, make the best of it, right?

We leave the homestead, our modern pantsuited hostess greeting her traditionally-dressed grandmother.

We hail a cab, which costs about $2.50, and never has seatbelts, and head out into the smoggy morning, competing with trucks and cars and people and dogs and motorcycles for space on the avenue. Men, women, and children compete to sell the rush hour drivers newspapers, cell phone accessories, and many other trinkets.

Restaurants are nestled between auto part stores, and women sell fresh juice from carts shielded from the Ecuadorian sun by faded umbrellas.

Power lines lean every which way. This morning I saw a utility worker leaning his ladder up against a mesh of wires, apparently planning to use them to steady his climb.

We pass signs we find funny (though I’m sure our “Espanol to the Gringo” sounds pretty funny to them!).

And every day I wonder if the giraffe rug will be out for show:

We twist and climb, driving past buses and up towards satellite-topped mountains.

And finally we arrive, about 25 minutes later, at “El Brass,” buzzing at the locked door to be let al dentro. Here’s the view from the roof…

Here Jesse shows off our digs:

Some very nice relatives of Jorge and Patricia took us on a day trip south of Quito… through the busy and colorful city…

…and on to some smaller towns with amazing views! The mountains are huge (and we are starting at 9,000 feet!).

Actually, EVERYTHING is huge… including the papayas (second shelf from top)!

I woke up to find this in the shower… instruments are well cared-for here and very clean!

And when I arrived at the school (“El Brass”), I found that I had a new (if only temporary name)… “hot,” no?

After our first day of teaching (see more photos here), the father of one of our students, Don Ramon, took Jesse and me out for delicious hamburgers, made with his secret recipe! Yum…

…and his young son, Martin, entertained us with his headlamp and marbles and animal noises…

We are tired but excited! The students here are wonderful, and I’m looking forward to working with more and more of them. Until soon…