By Emily Burnell Petrou (photos and video by Emily Burnell Petrou, group shot by David Freer)

It’s been quite the summer, what with the record-breaking heatwave in June, followed by incessant rain and cooler weather in July and into August, but that didn’t stop our ESME members from gathering together to enjoy each other’s company after the big summer concert – both at the ESME Biergarten Social at the Augustiner Keller on Sunday, July 20, and the annual Munich Sessions Summer Fest at Rindermarkt on Sunday, August 3, to bop to our own Resident Alien Big Band. Sunblock, cold beer and tables in the shade were musts at the former, while raincoats, umbrellas and waterproof footwear were indispensable at the latter! Despite the many violent cloudbursts, the RABB – under the capable and laid back direction of Davy Kazan – kept the mood joyful and infectious, performing their usual dazzling array of jazz, pop, and Latin beats. Singers Caro Kelley, Elaine Kazan and Carina Little provided lively vocals, and newcomer Eduardo Alfonso de la Fuente, dubbed “The Spanish Michael Bublé” by Davy, made his MSSF debut and kept things swinging, even in the most difficult of circumstances (like crooning Bublé’s “It’s a Beautiful Day” as the rain came down in torrents). One of the highlights was a spontaneous line dance initiated by a few energetic and instructive seniors, which drew in other happy dancers of all ages. The Resident Alien Big Band has performed at every one of these open air Munich Session gigs since its debut in 2017 (where it also rained – and did most years after that as well, to provide us that unique Woodstock vibe, minus the mud pits and LSD). Unfortunately, this was the final Munich Sessions Summer Fest, as the diligent and multitalented founders/organizers – Jackson Lynch (who once sang with the RABB), Patrick Thompson, Alex Keogh and Joel Moser – have too many other commitments in their busy lives. We would like to thank their whole organization for providing so much entertainment and merriment over the years with this fest, and wish them continued success in their various endeavors. You can read more about Munich Sessions here – and don’t forget to check out their groovy merch, too: https://munichsessions.com/. You can also have an exciting chance to take the stage yourself and sing with the band, when the RABB has a Live Karaoke event on Friday, 17 October at the Neue Ziegelei in Bogenhausen. As for ESME, our rehearsals start up again in mid-September to prepare for our popular winter concert on Saturday December 13 at the beautiful Münchner Künstlerhaus, so stay tuned…and enjoy the rest of your summer! (And feel free to subscribe to our blog so you won’t miss a thing!)