Cyprus 1973

 

Trumpet player, Bob Amato had finished his music studies at UMASS-Amherst in 1972 and by 1973, Bob was still living in the Amherst, Massachusetts area ‘freelancing’ which is another term for ‘starving’.

Bob’s former UMASS trumpet teacher, Walter “Wally” Chesnut got a phone call from Tamara Brooks who was the newly appointed Cyprus National Chamber Orchestra music director. Tamara Brooks was the outstanding Director and Conductor of the all female, Mt. Holyoke College Glee Club in South Hadley, Massachusetts.

Between 1969 and 1972, Tamara Brooks had

hired UMASS trumpeters Wally Chesnut, Bob Amato, and Doug Purcell both separately and jointly to perform in various Baroque music performances performed at Mt. Holyoke College as well as Mt. Holyoke College Gleeclub tours that typically took place during ‘spring breaks’.  Tamara Brooks was looking for a trumpet player that was capable of performing Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto Number 2 and knew that Bob was capable if he was available.

Professor Wally Chesnut encouraged Bob to accept the position in spite of the very low pay. Bob packed his 4 trumpets which included (Bach Stradivarius B Flat, Schilke C, Schilke D/E Flat, and Selmer 4-Valve B Flat/F Piccolo trumpets),  strapped a couple of sets of performance tuxedo wear into a clothing bag, through some casual clothes in a suitcase, got a paid round trip ticket to Cyprus and ultimately had a BLAST in more ways than one.

Tamara Brooks hired Bob Amato for what became Bob’s first ‘full time’ musical position. Bob was hired to be 1st chair trumpet as well as featured soloist with the Orchestra. Tamara Brooks was hired as the new Musical Director/Conductor for the newly reorganized, Cyprus National Chamber Orchestra (CNCO) which was based in the Nation’s Capital, Nicosia.  (Human activity on Cyprus dated to 10,000 BC).

Over an approximate 5 month season which was truncated by civil strife between Native Turkish and Greek populations, the CNCO performed all six of Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto’s including 8 Performances of Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto #2 where Bob was the featured trumpet soloist.

The chamber orchestra consisted of 2 trumpets, 1 trombone, 2 French Horns, 2 clarinets, at least one oboe and possibly two, 1 bassoon, 2 flutes, and a small mix of violins, violas, cellos, and bass players. The string section was made up of around 20 individuals. Although modest in size, this approximate 35 member Chamber Orchestra was quite capable.

Tamara Brooks was,  if not the first, one of the very first female orchestra conductors at that time to be employed outside of N. America, Great Britain, or France back in 1973.

American Embassy in Cyprus in 1973

A day after Bob arrived in Cyprus, and two days before CNCO rehearsals were scheduled to begin, the CNCO conductor who was a close friend with the U.S. Ambassador to Cyprus arranged for the U.S. Ambassador to host a fabulous party reception at the magnificent U.S. Embassy in Nicosia which also served as the Ambassadors residence. The reception was essentially a big time ‘BASH‘ was designed to be a meet and greet for the international  assemblage of musicians could meet each other and hopefully become friends. Dress requirements were casual. Besides the CNCO musicians, invited guests included Ambassadors from England, Wales, Ireland, Scotland, as well as Cyprus heads of State and important Cypriot Public Officials that represented both National and local Nicosia, Cyprus Capital government officials.

Yasser Arafat – Palestinian Liberation Organization and Black September

The large U.S. Embassy grounds or estate were surround by a tall masonry wall. The entrance was framed by a large iron gate. At the left and right of the iron gate, (two to the left and two to the right) were stationed, ‘at attention’ four very sober looking United States Marines who were decked out in ‘full regalia’ dress blue uniforms with white dress cap. The four Marines carried side arms and had automatic rifles pointed upwards to the sky over their shoulders. (With great certainty, all the weapons were loaded with live ammo.) This was not so much to protect the invited guests from the sometimes violent native Turks and Greeks who hated each other. The security concern was caused by the rather communicative, Mohammed Yasser Abdel Rahman Abdel Raouf Arafat al-Qudwa al-Husseini, popularly known as Yasser Arafat  or by his kunya Abu Ammar, was a Palestinian political leader. He was Chairman of the Palestine Liberation Organization from 1969 to 2004.

By 1972, under direction of Arafat, the Palestinian Liberation Organization (Army) was conducting an all out May 1972 assault on Israel – Lod Airport Massacre –  which culminated in September 1972 in what became known as the Munich Massacre.

The Black September Organization (BSO)  was a Palestinian terrorist organization founded in 1970. This nasty terrorist organization was a direct under study to  Arafat’s own Palestinian Liberation Organization. The BSO was responsible for the assassination of the Jordanian prime minister Wasfi Al-Tal, and the Munich massacre,  in which eleven Israeli athletes and officials were kidnapped and killed, as well a West German policeman losing his life, during the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, which was the BSO’s most publicized event.

The CNCO routinely performed outdoor concerts in restored ancient stone open air amphitheaters constructed by either the ancient Greeks or Romans who occupied Cyprus thousands of years ago. Most of the amphitheaters were located in coastal communities such as the Kourian Amphitheater located near Limassol which is one of the largest cities on Cyprus. CNCO performances were also staged at the Pattichio Open Amphitheater in Larnaca, Cyprus.

The acoustic excellence that these amphitheaters provided was remarkable. Of course, the primary use of these amphitheaters that were constructed and brilliantly engineered thousands of years ago for staging theatrical productions where an actors voice had to be clearly delivered to an audience of thousands without the benefit of electronic amplification who were comfortably seated within the confines of the amphitheater.

Additionally, CNCO performances were staged at the ancient open amphitheater of Salamis, Cypress, the Odeon Amphitheater in Paphos, Cypress, as well as the Curium Amphitheater in Episkopi, Cyprus.

When Bob resided in Cyprus in 1973, not only did it never rain, there was never a single cloud in the sky during the approximate five month period that Bob was in Cyprus. There was a very severe 2-3 year drought that was taking place. Water was strictly rationed in the Capital, Nicosia. A single one hour period a day would be available for bathing by shower. Running water in Nicosia was turned off daily for many, many hours because of the drought. And, the water quality that was available publicly was chalky and rather rancid. Bottled water was routinely consumed by all CNCO members at that time.

Because of the complete absence of rain in 1973, daytime temperatures in Cyprus would routinely rise to 107-115 degrees Fahrenheit. In fact, during the summer of 1972 there was not even the remotest hint of a cloud in the sky at any time.  However, because of the lack of rain, the humidity was extremely low on a daily basis which made the extreme daytime heat tolerable. Also, almost all commercial businesses on Cyprus closed for a long lunch/siesta break in the middle of the day that lasted to 4 or 4:30 PM.

Modern air conditioning was virtually unheard on Cyprus in 1973, which included all motorized transport, commercial business, hotels, and residences. Bob found that his lack of experience with the extreme daytime heat made sleeping during ‘Siesta’ hours difficult if not impossible. However, after dark the night time temperatures would plummet ‘desert like’ into temperatures that ranged from the mid-50’s to mid-70’s Fahrenheit on a completely consistent basis. The night temperatures would become so cold that screened bedroom windows would need to be shut and the use of a blanket to stay warm would almost always be used.   The cool night time temperatures would also be accompanied by a refreshing Mediterranean sea breeze.

Because of the extreme daytime heat, all CNCO rehearsals usually started between 8 or 9AM and were concluded by 11 or 11:30 AM. All CNCO musical performances were always scheduled after dark.

However, Cyprus had an excellent beer brewery that produced a tasty fine light beer that Bob got in the unfortunate habit of drinking even during breakfast meals. And,
in the beautiful ‘Old Town’ section of Nicosia which was designated to the native Turkish population, there were numerous coffee shops that served delicious and very ‘potent’ Turkish Coffee-espresso in small white espresso demitasse cups that cost the equivalent of about 10 cents $American per serving.

All of the Turkish coffee shops which provided delightful outdoor seating under umbrellas that provided shade from the unrelenting sunshine during daytime hours. The Turkish coffee shops also served delicious home made pastries and served approximate 12 ounce glasses of freshly squeezed orange that was uncommonly delicious and was available for a whopping 8 cents American per serving.  A $2 Dollar American food stipend would go a very long way in Cyprus in 1973.

In 1973, the cost of living was far, far lower in Cyprus than in the United States.  And, the cost of living within the Turkish partitioned sectors of Cyprus was significantly lower than in the Greek partitioned sectors of Cyprus.

In the Turkish sector of Cyprus, a good quality three course restaurant meal including a bottle of local Cyprus brewed beer could be had for around $2.00.’

A non-air conditioned one or two star quality hotel room in the Turkish sector with a bath ‘down the hall’ could be had for $2.00 to $4.00 a night.

The CNCO repertoire in 1973 was overwhelming focused on music that was composed in the Baroque 18th century time period. All of the six “Brandenburg” Concertos by Johann Sebastian Bach were performed anywhere from 2 – 8 times by the CNCO.

Tamara Brooks outstanding skills as fine conductor were exceeded by her boundless enthusiasm, tireless efforts, and her endless affection for the musicians in the CNCO which she personally selected.

Tamara encouraged members of the CNCO to frequently perform as soloists with the Orchestra. The CNCO also had a fine String Quartet, a Wind or Woodwind Quintet, a Brass Trio (Trumpet, French Horn, and Trombone) and a Brass Quartet (2 Trumpets, French Horn, and Trombone).

Each of the CNCO performances included at least one member of the Orchestra featured as a soloist. Each of the CNCO performances also included a smaller chamber ensemble musical performance as well.

With the CNCO Brass Trio, Bob performed the Sonata for horn, trumpet and trombone, FP 33a, by Francis Poulenc.  With the CNCO Brass Quartet, Bob performed various Gabrielli Canzona’s arranged for Brass Quartet including Gabrielli Canzona Per Sonare No 1

(The 1st chair French Horn player was a young Englishman, Howard Copping who studied at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland and also studied at the Vienna Conservatory.)

As a featured trumpet soloist with the CNCO Bob performed:
Trumpet Concerto in E Major – Johann Nepomuk Hummel – Performed on E Flat Trumpet

Trumpet Concerto in C – Michael Haydn – Performed on Piccolo Trumpet
Trumpet Concerto in D – Leopold Mozart – Performed on Piccolo Trumpet
Bob also performed at least three ” “Maurice Andre” baroque trumpet style solo’s on piccolo trumpet which included both the Tartini and Albinoni Concerto’s.
Additionally, Bob also performed the rather challenging Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto #2  on eight occasions during the course of the CNCO engagement.

Johann Sebastian Bach showing how much he cared for a trumpet players well being when he scored the famous Brandenburg Concerto #2

The vast majority of the CNCO members were either citizens of the United Kingdom (British Isles) or from the United States. The age of the the majority of the CNCO were no more
than 25 years of age. The musicians that were selected by Tamara Brooks were not long out of Music School or Conservatory and would work “CHEAP” as a means to gather valuable professional experience. The most notable member of the CNCO 1972 was virtuoso Violist, Marcus Thompson.  Marcus was born and raised in The Bronx, NYC. Marcus earned both a Bachelors as well as Masters degree in Viola Performance from Julliard School of Music.  Marcus was also was the first person to earn a doctorate in viola performance from Julliard.  Needless to say, Marcus knew how to get around on a Viola.

Marcus and Bob became good friends while performing with the CNCO in 1972. Marcus was raised in the Bronx with a large family who were all encouraged to eat a strictly vegetable based diet (now referred to as “VEGAN”).

Marcus would not even consume either eggs or cheese. Marcus was the very first “VEGAN’ that Bob had ever met. Bob asked Marcus why Marcus only consumed vegetables or grains. Marcus told Bob that Marcus’s Father would tell the children at the dinner table that they should think about the “CONSEQUENCES OF EATING MEAT AND FISH WHEN THEY DIED AND WENT TO HEAVEN AND WOULD ENCOUNTER ALL OF THE ANIMALS AND FISH THEY HAD CONSUMED”. Bob has always thought that comment was quite profound and seriously should be considered by those who are hooked on ‘Western Style’ diets which includes Bob himself to this day.

A number of the CNCO string players were from New York City and were Jewish.  The cost of a plane ticket to visit nearby Israel was extremely inexpensive.   Several of the Jewish NYC string player musicians decided to visit Israel to visit and hangout with relatives and friends during a scheduled CNCO 3 day holiday.   Marcus Thompson and Bob were invited to travel to Israel.  But, at that time, the 1972 terrorist attacks against Israel were fresh in both Marcus’s and Bob’s memory.   And, suicide terrorist attacks throughout Israel seemed to be almost a daily occurrence back in 1973.  Marcus and Bob decided not to travel to Israel during the summer of 1973.  Fortunately, the Jewish string players from NYC did not encounter any terrorist activity during their visit to Israel and returned to Cyprus safe and sound.

Marcus and Bob became friends with the Deputy American Ambassador to Cyprus who was a New Yorker in his thirties.  In 1973, almost all of the men who lived on the island wore hand tailored clothing and custom made and fitted leather shoes.  And, in the Turkish partitioned sector of Nicosia, Cyprus the quality of tailoring for men’s clothing rivaled Savile Row in London as well as the finest men’s tailors in Hong Kong.   And, the pricing was a small fractionofSavile Row in London.

The Deputy American Ambassador to Cyprus personally introduced Marcus and Bob to the Deputy Ambassadors two favorite tailors in the Turkish partitioned sector of Nicosia.

The first tailor was a middle age gentleman with a bushy mustache who ran his tailor shop with his son.  This shop also had a staff of 8-10 seamstresses.

Both tailor shops provided customers with catalogs of designs to choose from.  And, both tailor shops had massive numbers of rolls of fabrics to choose from.  The fabrics were the finest quality available that were imported from both Scotland and Milan, Italy.

At the first tailor shop, Bob selected a fine gray, butter soft woolen blend fabric manufactured in Scotland with a subtle checkered tweed like design.  This was a custom made three piece suit for $65.00 American.

As far as customer service is concerned, all customers at both tailor shops were offered fine freshly brewed ‘Turkish Coffee’, or bottled water, or a soft drink at each visit to the tailor shop.

The second tailor shop that Marcus and Bob were introduced to was owned by a younger, clean shaven, and taller Turkish man who was in his thirties.  This fellow looked like he could have been a male runway model in Milan, Italy.   This tailor had a male assistant and 2 or 3 seamstresses.  Bob selected a fine synthetic blend pin strip fabric from Milan, Italy.  This was a custom made three piece suit for $55.00 American.

From both of these tailors, Bob also ordered four, custom made dress shirts with French Cuffs.  The fabric was the finest 100% Egyptian cotton.  Various fabric blends were available including silk.   Depending on material, the cost of a custom made shirt was $4.00-$8.00.  Bob paid less than $5.00 each for his four custom fitted 100% Egyptian cotton shirts with French cuffs.

The Deputy American Ambassador to Cyprus also introduced Marcus and Bob to the Deputy Ambassador’s favorite shoe maker or cobbler.  Bob purchased two pairs of custom made leather dress shoes for $12.00 American for each pair.

Both tailors required 3 fittings which took place over a 7-10 period.  The third and final fitting was provided on the day that the suit was available to be picked up by the buyer.

At the third and final fitting with the first, older tailor…after Marcus and Bob exited dressings rooms after the final fitting….Marcus and Bob were escorted by the owners son to the main floor of the tailor shop.   The seamstresses were all standing at attention next to each other.  Marcus and Bob were instructed to face the line of seamstresses.   The owner stood aside from the seamstresses and faced Marcus and Bob from the left side.  The owner’s Son faced his Father on the right side of Marcus and Bob.

Marcus and Bob were instructed to slowly walk back and forth and then slowly turn clockwise.  At the conclusion of this ‘showy exercise’, the entire Tailor Shop Staff vigorously clapped in approval for a ‘job well done’!  The Deputy American Ambassador to Cyprus accompanied Marcus and Bob to this tailor shop for the final fitting.  And, this was the way that shop delivered it’s finely tailored merchandise to all customers.

Marcus Thompson became a faculty member of the MIT Music Department in Cambridge, Massachusetts in the early fall of 1973. Marcus and Bob kept up to around 1975 at which time Bob became the Bandleader of Hoxie Brothers Circus and began to drift apart from his many classically trained musician friends as well as music teachers.

CIVIL STRIFE IN CYPRUS IN 1973

The CNCO 1973 season was truncated and the CNCO was disbanded in the late summer of 1973 when a violent military style clash with street to street violence erupted within the Capital, Nicosia between the native ethnic Greek and Turkish populations.

(This violence was put in check by U.N. force intervention fairly quickly, but continued to simmer until things really got ugly again in 1974 which worked its way into a full scale Turkish invasion of Cyprus.) In less than 48 hours during late July of 1973,  the CNCO was disbanded and all CNCO members who were foreign Nationals were placed on a bus and escorted by an armored U.N. heavily armed convoy to the Nicosia International Airport and were flown to Athens, Greece via Aristotle Onassis’s Olympic Airlines. A large Olympic Airlines jet was specifically chartered on short notice to deliver the foreign CNCO members to Athens.

At that time, Cyprus (a former British Colony) was no stranger to violence. The native population became restless in the 1950’s and violently over threw the British colonial occupiers in a very bloody conflict in the early 1960’s that caused  U.N. military intervention that led to the partition or division of the Island of Cyprus into a Greek Sector and a Turkish Sector. For example, in the City of Nicosia which is the Capital of Cyprus where the CNCO was based, the movement of all people between Turkish and Greek designated areas was controlled by heavily armed U.N. check points. Each 24 hour manned check point had three sand bag reinforced ‘bunkers’ that each had a mounted
heavy caliber machine gun that was further guarded by multiple heavily armed military style personnel. Each check point actually contained three sand bag reinforced ‘bunkers’ that were each spaced at least 60 feet apart and possibly more.

On the Greek side of the partitioned check point, was a heavily armed bunker manned by the Greek military forces. The middle check point ‘bunker’ was manned by U.N. military forces. On the Turkish side of the partitioned check, a third heavily armed check point ‘bunker’ was manned by Turkish military forces. Both motorists as well as pedestrians had to present either ‘work papers’, National Cypriot ID, or Passport’s to move through each of the three checkpoints.

Numerous checkpoints of this nature were placed all over the Island that were managed and maintained by the U.N. Security forces in an effort to maintain a long lasting piece. Interestingly, by U.N. negotiated decree, the ethnic Turkish population could always move freely into all Greek controlled partitioned areas. However, ethnic Greeks were never allowed unless receiving special permission into the Turkish partitioned controlled island areas.

Black September Terrorist Attack On The Athens Airport on August 5th, 1973

At the beginning of the CNCO engagement…at the American Embassy party and reception to honor the formation of the new CNCO, Bob met and became romantically involved with a member of the Orchestra of Irish descent, Maureen or “Mo”. When “Mo” and Bob arrived at the Athens Airport via the Olympic Airways Charter Jet, they both decided to spend a week together ‘hanging out’ and exploring beautiful Athens, Greece  for 7 days before departing for London.  (The only CNCO members to do so.) In downtown Athens, near a subway entrance they found a $4.00 a night hotel room with ‘bath and shower’ down the hall that was clean although not air conditioned. Bob and “Mo” spent 7 days exploring Athens and partying around the fabulous Parthenon into the early morning hours.

On August 5, 1973, Bob and “Mo” were scheduled to depart from the Athens airport on a Trans World Airlines (TWA) Flight 881 to New York via London.  However, due to a particularly vigorous night of partying the night before the scheduled August 5th, 1973 departure time, Bob and “Mo’ overslept and missed TWA Flight 881. On the boarding concourse were TWA Flight 881 was being staged, two Palestinian Black September terrorists attacked the boarding area/concourse with machine guns and three hand grenades.  See BBC report dated August 5th, 1973.  The attack ultimately killed 3 Americans, an Austrian, and injured 55 others who were mostly Americans.

If Bob and “Mo” did not oversleep, which caused them both to miss TWA Flight 881, they both would have undoubtedly been caught up in this Palestinian Black September terrorist assault.

For more information on this Black September August 1973 terrorist attack see New York Times articles>>>
https://www.nytimes.com/1973/08/06/archives/a-rabskill3-and-wound55-in-athens-airport-lounge-a-palestinian.html
and  “Athens Airport Terrorists Are Charged With Murder“ dated August 8th, 1973

Bob and his girlfriend, “Mo” did not find out about this gruesome terrorist attack until they arrived at the Athens Airport on August 6th, 1973 to take another TWA flight to London.

When Bob and “Mo” arrived at the Athens Airport on August 6th, 1973, the Athens Airport was teaming with heavily armed Greek Military personnel.  Grotesquely, all of the blood on the TWA departure area walls and floors was still not completely removed.

Bob and “Mo” were both shocked that ‘luck’ and too much late night partying caused them to miss the scheduled August 5th, 1973 TWA Flight 881 to London/New York.  They both were relieved to make it safely to London.  And, Bob was relieved in particular, to reach the relative safety of New York City and the United States in general.