14/05/2026
Bob Dylanโs Stage - A 32-Year Full Circle ๐ฝ๐ฅ
Some moments in life feel just like a movie.
This week, I returned to the legendary Cafe Wha? in NYC with my son -and the moment I stepped inside, everything came rushing back.
1994. A young student at the Manhattan School of Music.
8 hours of practice a day, but one big dream: to be on stage.
I approached Noam, the clubโs legendary owner, and he told me:
โIf you get a xylophone -youโre on.โ
In a stroke of perfect New York luck, my roommate in Harlem actually had a xylophone. I hauled it down to the club, and Noam gave me a corner to store it among all the gear. Very quickly, this place became my second home.
I played there 5 nights a week. The pay? 30 dollars, dinner - and a whole lot of dreams.
But what I gained there was worth so much more: the stage, the rhythm, the people, and the chance to learn real music in front of a real audience.
Standing on the same stage where legends like Jimi Hendrix, Bob Dylan, and Lady Gaga once performed was the best school I could have ever asked for.
And this week, 32 years later, I went back.
Noam is still there. Same smile. Same love for music.
I found myself once again with a tambourine in hand, on the very same stage where it all began.
But this time, my son was there with me.
Watching him watch me play in the place where it all started it was a full circle I couldnโt have scripted any better.
New York, thank you for the memories. Some cities never leave you. โจ
