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IVAN JEGOROVICH ALEKSEYEV = ==text in preparation=== back to alphabet |
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JERZY ANDRUSZKOBrzeg, Poland [no information] back to alphabet |
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CLAYTON G. BAILEY Port Costa, California, U.S.A. Is a soloistic Jew's harp player. His music and music style are pointed at all kinds of music that will interest him. He preferes to play on all kinds of unusual Jew's harps or Jew's harp designs. He is also a maker of the so-called Jewsaphone. Clayton G. Bailey: "I want to buy or trade for more Jew's harps." Clayton G. Bailey lives in California, U.S.A. address: P.O. Box 69, Port Costa, CA 94569 - U.S.A. his e-mail is: cbailey@claytonbailey.com back to alphabet |
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Clayton G. Bailey |
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PHONS BAKX Jew's harp player since 1985. In his initial days he played his Jew's harp Mosaics (1986-1987) as a solist. Soon after that he founded various ensembles, such as Middelburgs Mondharp Ensemble (1987), Casu Marzu Ensemble (1996) and Phons Bakx Ensemble (1997). With all these ensembles he has interpreted traditional music. He performed with Indonesian musicians and dancers in ensembles like Gengénggonggan (1993) and Orang Genggong (1999). He played in duet on stage with: Petra Kwekkeboom (recorder), Franky Berhitu (suling, traverse flute), Salvatore Aragoni (Jhp, clarinet), with Enno Meijers (Jhp) and with the Kwintes Ensemble.He was the member in white of the Dutch Kwintes Ensemble. This ensemble once was concentrating on modern four-voice compositions for Jew's harp. Bakx' choise for new forms of music was than the result of playing and studying in this four members ensemble-strength. This ensemble has been instructed by the Dutch modern composer Douwe Eisenga.Phons Bakx is the author of the Dutch standard monograph about the Jew's harp De Gedachtenverdrijver. He has published several other essays on the Jew's harp: The Jew's harp and the Hindu God Shiva (E), The Rooria - Jhp of the Maoris (E), 1000 Names of the Jhp (E), "Poing" - house music (E), La Valeur de Joyau Qu'est la Guimbarde (F), Franz Bernögger (Interview) (D) and De Kleinoodwaarde van de Mondharp (NL). In 1992 he made a national VPRO-radioprogram about the Jew's harp that lasted 8 hours of broadcasting.He has released three Jew's harp CD's: A Song for the Jew's harp (1997), Music and the Dispel of Thoughts (1999) and all the archive-recordings of his initial Jew's harp Mosaics (1986-1987) (publ. 2004). Phons Bakx is related to Foundation Antropodium as an editor for Jew's harp specialisms and for anthropological and culture-historical publications. He is appointed to be the producer of a Jew's harp Worldcongress & Festival in Amsterdam in 2004. Member of the International Jew's harp Association. Address: Lijsterbeslaan 19 - 4334 BM - Middelburg |
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Peter Kersten |
OO Phons Bakx |
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ANTON BRUHIN = ==text in preparation===for information, e-connect Antropodium (ed. staff) back to alphabet |
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FREDERICK CRANE Undoubtedly the most documentated person on the Jew's harp in the whole world. He is from Mount Pleasant in Iowa, U.S.A. He plays the Jew's harp since 1975, but started all his researches for this instrument in 1955. He has played the première of Linda Robbins Coleman's Concertino. Mainly for the Jew's harp, he is the editor (and he also is an author) of the authorized magazine about the Jew's harp, called V.I.M., in full: Vierundzwanzigsteljahrschrift der Internationalen Maultrommelvirtuosengenoßenschaft. He started this magazine in 1982. Up till now, 20 years later, prof. emer. Frederick Crane has published 11 numbers of V.I.M. General view on all the V.I.M.'s Ordering issues from the V.I.M.-seriesFrederick Crane is called the Father of the International Congress of the Jew's harp - he started the first one in Iowa City in 1984. Now he is a member of the International Jew's harp Association. more information about Frederick Crane may follow in future for information, e-connect: Antropodium edit.-staff back to alphabet |
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PHILIPPE DALLAIS Mainly a solist Jew's harp player on all kinds of Jew's harps. But he also plays in ensemble form, especially with Olga Letykai, a Chukchi-troat-singer who also plays the Jew's harp . Philippe Dallais interprets contemporary improvisations, and he also combines electronic sounds into his Jew's harp music. He is doing ethno-musicological and archæological research on Jew's harps and also developed pedagogical teaching programs in primary schools. Philippe Dallais has developed a special unit for the Jew's harp called Boîte à Guimbarde or B.A.G. in the Museum of Ethnography in Neuchâtel. The purpose of the B.A.G. is to show the diversity of Jew's harps in the world. At the same time visitors can acquire several Jew's harps, as well as several CD's and booklets. The B.A.G. gives the provision to Jew's harp makers in the world to exhibit their work, so they can sell their Jew's harps to a new (and wider) public. A part the Jew's harp collection from the Neuchâtel Museum of Etnography is available on the on-line collection database http://www.men.ch
For contact, click here: Philippe Dallais, Neuchâtel city, Switzerland
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Philippe Dallais on mukkuri Jew's harp |
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DANIBAL Utrecht, the Netherlands Danibal has a very playful approach to music and a very broad taste. Danibal performs solo on several small occasions to spread the word of the Jew's harp. With PLUNK, he plays together with the human beat boxer Ramon Kool which leads to very surprising and funny improvisations. Beside that there are several projects, such as Wordscape (www.keeswennekendonk.nl/wordscape) and incidental collaborations with for example Jan Schellink (www.firmabeweegreden.nl) where improvisation is also the key word. It is also possible to get a Jew's harp workshop for small groups. Danibal also sings and plays the Jew's harp in his band called dial prisko (former name: Met Tuiten). More information about Danibal can be found at www.danibal.nl and www.dialprisko.nl, danibal@kaasschaafcollectief.nl
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Danibal on Jew's harp back to alphabet |
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DANIEL DUE-TØNNESSEN Is a solist player in the Setesdal musical tradition of Norway. If you want to contact him, try this address: A picture of him may follow |
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GEORG DECRISTEL =Jew's harp Player from the Valhalla= (1937-1997) = ==text in preparation===One of the most non-conformistic Jew's harp players of our time may have been Georg Decristel from Innsbruck, Austria. He was born in Hall (Tirol) in 1937. As a young man he studied economics, social sciences, jurisprudence, philosophy and general sciences of speech in Inssbruck, London and Klagenfurt. He was an autodidact in history of arts. After his times as a student in the 60-ies he became more interested in expressions of art, and start his strolling performances and his ambulant Jew's harp playing, his "Wandelmaultrommelein". He performed at numberous lectures of poets like Artmann, Achleitner, Jandl, etc. for information, e-connect Antropodium (ed. staff) 2 photo's: back to alphabet |
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georg decristel
sonyadibaboralexa (sonogram/score) back to alphabet |
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NIEK EDELING ....is a Jew's harp player from Nijmegen, the Netherlands. He plays solitary and together with other Jew's harpers and instrumentalists on didgeridu, violincello, flute and percussions like Big Bom & Baby Bom, combined in miscellanious ensembles as the Basic Freaks, Mezcolanza and Esum Esum. 6531 HR - telephone: + + 31. 24 - 356 56 60 e-mail: niek.edeling@bhh.han.nl (publicity allowed) back to alphabet |
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ÅNON EGELAND = ==text in preparation===for information, e-connect Antropodium (ed. staff) back to alphabet |
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IZZ VAN ELK Izz van Elk was a Jew's harper and percussionist in the former Dutch Kwintes Ensemble. This ensemble is concentrating on modern four-voice compositions for Jew's harp.Izz van Elk is also a djembé- and a didgeridu-player. In the Kwintes Ensemble he was the strongest rhythmical force in the group. Sometimes he accompanies the Jew's harp sounds with the African udu or claves. He also is member of the sound-circle Nada Naga from his own home area. Izz van Elk lives in Goes, the Netherlands photo Izz van Elk back to alphabet |
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Izz van Elk back to alphabet |
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MAX ENGEL Innsbruck, Austria Max Engel is a musicologist who has performed the Jew's harp parts from the scores of Johann Heinrich Hörmann's Parthia ab Octis Instrumentis (1735). This partita in C contains seven Bauern-barocke (= farmers baroque) dances: Intrada-Menuetto-Burlesca-Rigaudon-Polonaise-Rondeau-Gigue. For each dance there's a melody score for the "Crembalo Unisono" or the unison Jew's harp. The Partita was composed for the strength of: two violins con sordino, two violins pizzicato, two recorders, one Jew's harp and one cello. It is executed by the Collegium pro Musica from Innsbruck, and was conducted by Max Engel. The Parthia Ab Octis Instrumentis has been arranged by prof. dr. Walter Senn. It has been recorded by the ORF Landesstudio Tirol. |
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Jew's harps, fixed to a piece of wood (photo: Ph. Bakx, 1992) |
Max Engel is from a wellknown music family, and he give concerts all over the world. He is regarded as a multirateral musician, playing on modern, (non-) European and ancient instruments. He's specialized on cello, zither, Jew's harp, wood- and brasswindinstruments, hurdy-gurdy, woodblocks and tromba marina. He also is an instrument maker. In his carreer he worked as a solist, but also in ensembles as Mumelters Concertodrom, Collegium Aureum and in the Salzburger Mozart Trio. |
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GORDON FRAZIER ===text in preparation=== for information, e-connect Antropodium (ed. staff) back to alphabet |
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BERNHARD FOLKESTAD Bernard Folkestad usually performs as a solistic Jew's harp player, but in some cases he'll appear in duet with fiddle(s). His repertory is reserved to the authentic Norwegian folk tradition, and sometimes he will interpret a dash of British traditional folk music. Up till now he had performed his music only in small scaled concerts or at contests. Bernard Folkestad also writes and edits on articles about the Jew's harp in the Norwegian magazine Munnharpa (in everyday life he is a school teacher for the English language). He has spent several articles on Jew's harps, forgers and the players tradition..., all from Norway. He also wrote an article on the Scottish 'twanger' Lindsay Porteous.Bernhard serves as the Honorary Secretary of the Norsk Munnharpeforum (i.e. Norwegian Jew's harp Forum). His address is: Bernard Folkestad, N-6100, Volda, Norway |
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WAYLAND HARMAN = ==text in preparation=== back to alphabet |
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VIHTORI HEINONEN Finnland Was one of the last known Jew's harp players of an obsolete tradition in Finnland enduring the initial years of the 20st century. He has mastered the genre of the polska as his speciality. He must have been a character, for he introduced himself as a noble man "Vihtori Heinonkoski von Villebrandt". Testimonies tell us that he was remembered as a man that turned his head off because he could not keep in his laughter caused by his own jokes. He never has shown anyone how he created the sounds on his Jew's harp. Once he did play at a wedding for two days without sleep. After that someone has asked him if the Jew's harp iron was not too hot, Heinonen answered "Yes, that is why I have to dip it in the beer barrel so often!" - Heinonen his instruments are still kept in the museum of Forssa in Southwest-Häme in Finnland. *)* ) these alineas contain information extracted from the interviewFolkestad-Miettinen in "Munnharpa", nr 12, p. 11 back to alphabet |
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MORSING SITARAMA IYER Mysore, India = ==text in preparation=== back to alphabet |
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STERLING JONES England ===text in preparation=== back to alphabet |
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PETER KERSTEN Was Jew's harp member of the Dutch Kwintes Ensemble. This ensemble was concentrating on four-voice compositions for Jew's harp. In 1987, together with Phons Bakx, Peter Kersten started to play in the Middelburgs Mondharp Ensemble. Than he interperted mostly traditional music from Sardinia and North-America. Beside his interest for playing the guitar, he also is a maker and re-maker of metal Jew's harps (for his Jew's harp production, click onTogether with Enno Meijers he performed several times the scores of "Washington's Birthday" in co-operation with several radio philharmonic orchestras in Holland. Peter Kersten lives in Middelburg, the Netherlands. Connection through e-mail Antropodium back to alphabet |
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FRANK KOLB Frank Kolb plays the harp solo, but he also did it in duet with Heissa Jürgens. Kolb's playing styles will vary from the interpreted styles typical for Yakutia and Siberia, to the playing techniques that belong to his Hessian home area. Mingled repertoires for Jew's harp may also have his attention when he is on stage.
Kolb: "Greetings to the friends of the Yakutian Jew's harp,... I am always interested in getting information, new instruments and new Jew's harps friends..."Frank Kolb can be connected at the next e-mail address: webmaster@khomus.de His works for the Jew's harp can be found at the next website: www.khomus.de
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WERNER KUMPL Schlierbach, Austria Werner Kumpl plays the Jew's harp for about 25 years. His first Jew's harp was a khomus from Siberia. Since than he has specialized in playing these Siberian instruments, especially the khomus of Gogolev. Contacts via Antropodium (ed. staff) back to alphabet |
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KWINTES ENSEMBLE the Netherlands ... worked between 1999 and 2002 as a Jew's harp-group from Middelburg and Goes, two towns in the southwest part of Holland. This ensemble has distanced itself from the idea of the Jew's harp just being regarded as a folk musical instrument. Notwithstanding that the Jew's harp can produce minute harmonic sounds of elegance, a lot of music lovers still believe that this instrument is an inferior, trifling knick-knack. Kwintes Ensemble may have proved that this isn't so. For every composition the four musicians chose every key of their Jew's harps with great care. This made audible the harmonic combinations of the different keys all together. The Kwintes-Jew's harpers used the idiomatic sound qualities of the Jew's harp. This is less important in folk music where at first the folk melody has to be interpreted. In folk music the Jew's harp very often functions as a rhythmic instrument together with other instruments. In those combinations the harmonics of the Jew's harp sound don't play a part. In the repertoire of the Kwintes Ensemble the Jew's harp combinations "took the floor" by themselves, maybe an usual playing method in contemporary music, but not in those small quarters of the world where Jew's harps are prominent. This ensemble composed its own music and at certain moments the players went up into improvised moods. Sometimes a percussion instrument was added. The members of Kwintes Ensemble concerted on a large diversity of estimable Jew's harps from Norway, Hungary, the Netherlands, India, Siberia (Yakutia, Altai) and Austria. The strength of the ensemble was: Phons Bakx, Enno Meijers, Izz van Elk and Peter Kersten
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MAHISU Mahisu was a member of the Wam-tribe in the Maprik-district in East-Sepik, Papua Niugini. As far as it is known, the Wam-Papua-men recite an unique, harmonic sound ritual on the binatang, a living sago-beetle, on which they play harmonic music with their mouth cavity (see photo below).It is not necessary to designate this rare "sound instrument" as one of the parallel-instrument types of the Jew's harp, a thing that also could be applied to a harmonic instrument of worldwide meaning and distribution as the mouthbow. It may be the best this binatang-sound ritual not to consider seriously as a parallel-instrument of the Jew's harp, but it approaches very close the humoristic idea of a "live" parallel-instrument of the Jew's harp. The (rather cruel) principle has been observed by Emer. Prof. Robert MacLennan (Brisbane, Australia) and the Dutch-Australian physician Dr Fred Gerrits. Both have recorded them on tape. Their testimony is as follows. The tribemen of the Wam in Maprik-district will catch a number of beetles in the palmtrees. This beetle, in the length of 10-15 cm from tip to tail, is quite aggressive and in a certain way dangerous to catch. When the Wam-Papuas want the beetles for use during a sound-ritual in a group, they'll aggravate their state of agitation by breaking off the half of one of their hind legs. They put a sharp wooden spine of a sago-leaf right into the open, external hinge-joint of the insect. They will fix the beetle tightly as possible, so it can not fly away. The harmful agitation causes the beetle to buzz very loudly in a non-stopping drone. Than the beetle is suspended in the free air and the player will shake it to induce to fly. The men will bring carefully the buzzing beetles to their opened mouth and make audible clear harmonics on the drone sound of it. The tip of one of the two vibrating wings is held close to the open mouth, so that the player can select the harmonics on the buzzing tone of the binatang. In the background of the buzzing sound one will hear the harmonic patterns od the player. It was clear that Mahisu was well experienced in making these harmonic patterns. According to Emer. Prof. Robert MacLennan, the Papua Mahisu doesn't live anymore. The Dutch-Australian physician Dr Fred Gerrits has observed and recorded this kind of ritual in the Maprik-district in 1977 with beetles of about 10-15 cm in size. He recorded them on tape. Apart from these all, it seems that these rituals are not very common but rare. It only has been observed among a few old-equatorial tribes of Niugini and among some proto-malayan tribes of the Malacca-peninsuala in Malaysia. It is said that the latter even do this ritual with two beetles in front of one man's opened mouth. As far as it is known, there are no special animistic connotations or religious aims with these beetle-sound rituals. If anyone knows more about people making sounds with beetles or
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HARVEY MATUSOW In the late 1960-ies Harvey Matusow produced a very rare album by his own Jew's Harp Band, consisting of (among more) three Jew's harp players as Claude Lintot, Rod Parsons and Chris Yak. At that time the Harvey Matusow's Jew's Harps Band has been admitted as the only Jew's harps band on earth, but it surely wasn't, noticing the mechanical experiments of the John White's Jew's Harp Machine, or even the very large Jew's harp orchestras from Bali about we've never heard before at that time. Harvey Matusows Jew's Harps Band is completed by Leslie Kenton (vocals & metronome) and Anna Lockwood (indian bells, guitar).
Harvey Job Matusow back to alphabet |
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MENABEPF Menabepf is a Jew's harp player from the Oksapmin-tribe in the Western Highlands of Papua Niugini. He plays on a very long sized Jew's harp, which rather is uncommon in the geographyical spread of the bamboo Jew's harp. Its length varies in size from 38 till 40 cm (see photo below).When the oblong needle-shaped reed oscillates, it will be easy that it hits somewhere the insides of the two parallel frame-bridges. This causes a rattling sound, which can be heard in every beat that is made. It seems that Papuas appreciate this accompanying percussion(noise) when playing. Another feature on this oblong Jew's harp, which actually can not be regarded as the feature for a rattle-Jew's harp, is the way how it is struck (see photo below). The fist of the hand has to beat firmly against the lower part of the Jew's harp, so that the lamella will oscillate. Menabepf belongs to the tradition of Jew's harp players in the world that will use the Jew's harp as an instrument of speech. He makes use of a very unique repertory on articulation sounds that he will repeat constantly through his Jew's harp. What Oksapmin-men recite on Jew's harp, may even be unusual to any Papua Jew's harp tradition (maybe with the exception for the Usurufa-tribes in the Central Highlands). They reflect several spiritual aspects of the surrounding nature into an idiom of combined mouth-, guttural- and respiration-sounds. These sounds are transposed into a "world of harmonics" by the Jew's harp. At the same time they are masked by the Jew's harp. During his residence among the Oksapmin in 1963 and 1973, Prof. Emer. Robert MacLennan has discovered that the result of all these individual Jew's harp idioms alternately correspond to the Oksapmin-myths. In near future Robert MacLennan would like to record all the different accounts and stories told by the Oksapmin-men that will give feedback to the Jew's harp idioms. for information, e-connect Antropodium (ed. staff)
Menabepf on a oblong bamboo Jew's harp, striking it by his fist |
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JARNO MIETTINEN Tampere, Finnland Jarno Miettinen is interested in the world of the Jew's harp, especially in Scandinavia. According to an Intervju in the Norwegian magazine "Munnharpa" (nr 12), Jarno has documentated himself on the historical, traditional and contemporary aspects of the Jew's harp in Scandinavia, Suomi (Finnland) and the Baltic states. He has learned some instructions for Jew's harp playing by the Finnish Jew's harper Tapani Varis. Jarno has established an extensive website about the "Suomen Munniharppuyhdistys" or the Finnish Jew's Harp Association- if you want to take a look: click here
Jarno Miettinen on an electric trump back to alphabet |
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Middelburg, the Netherlands
At the end of the 1980-ies he participated (together with Peter Kersten and Phons Bakx) in the Middelburgs Mondharp Ensemble. After that he played in the Jew's harpers-duo with Phons Bakx and as a member in the Dutch four-headed Kwintes Ensemble, a Jew's harp group concentrating on four-voice compositions for Jew's harp..In his initial days with the Middelburgs Mondharp Ensemble he performed traditional and improvised music. Later in the 1990-ies his interest for Jew's harp music would develop more and more into contemporary style of music. Like Phons Bakx', his choise for modern forms of music is the result of playing and muisc study in a four members ensemble. This ensemble has been instructed by the Dutch modern composer Douwe Eisenga. Recorded on CD's: Casu Marzu Ensemble (1997) and duos with Phons Bakx (1999).Enno Meijers lives in Middelburg, the Netherlands. His e-mail for connection: ennom@zeelandnet.nl Enno Meijers: photographback to alphabet |
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Enno Meijers back to alphabet |
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SAMUEL MOUROT France Samuel or Samy Mourot mainly plays the Jew's harp solitary, but opportunities of unformal performances in public make him join into ensembles as Jew's harp- and didgeridu-player, or as a hand drummer on udu or dumbak. He also performs as a throatsinger. Samuel Mourot: "I recently had nice opportunities to exchange (selfmade) Jew's harps with other enthusiastics. I gladly would like to continue this exchange with people who are interested in this kind of trade..."Samuel Mourot lives near to the town Besançon in Eastern France. You can reach him by e-mail s.mourot@voila.fr - You can also visit his website: http://site.voila.fr/samkubingphoto may follow soon back to alphabet |