Columnist Joe Delaney: Back home – and glad to be

Joe Delaney

Thursday, Jan. 30, 1997 | 11:59 a.m.

TWENTY-NINE HOURS. ... This was the total time elapsed from our 4 a.m. wake-up call Sunday (7 p.m. Saturday in Las Vegas) and falling into our bed in Las Vegas. ... We have been away since Dec. 27, with six days in Dublin, Ireland, en route to teaching at the International Academy of Broadcasting in Montreux, Switzerland.

Dublin and most of Britain and Europe was hit with snow and bitter cold weather during our first week away. ... Despite continued cold snowy weather, Montreux was fairly mild, sans snow. ... It was a pleasant, rewarding three weeks of teaching students from all over the world, a learning experience for everyone -- teacher and pupils.

At 5 a.m. Sunday, we took a cab to the train station, caught the 5:35 to Geneva and checked into the airport. ... Our route then took us to London, Dublin and Chicago, where the weather was even worse than overseas.

Back at home

Our scheduled 6:40 p.m. departure there left at 9:40, Chicago time. ... While we were gone, New York-New York opened; reportage worldwide was outstanding. ... Colonel Tom Parker and trumpeter-arranger Buck Monari took their leave during our absence. ... We shall miss both of these talented unusual people, longtime friends of ours.

Elvis would never have happened as he did were it not for the Colonel. ... Our friendship with Parker went back to the pre-Presley days when Parker managed Eddy Arnold. ... Whatever his idiosyncrasies, Colonel Tom was never dull. .. At 87, his mind and sense of humor were still intact.

Monari was an excellent musician and arranger, a mainstay for years with Sam Butera & the Wildest. ... We had talked several times just before I left for Ireland. ... I couldn't help him then but promised I would do so when I returned. ... There's a message there.

Welcome back

David Clayton Thomas and Blood, Sweat & Tears will give one performance only, 8 o'clock this evening, at Arizona Charlie's. ... Remember when the group made its LV debut one December some 20 years ago in Caesars' Circus Maximus and suffered the sarcasm of the other contemporary groups for deigning to play Las Vegas?

Marv Koral's All-Stars with Marv on reeds, Carl Saunders, trumpet; Carl Fontana, trombone; Joe Romano, sax; Gus Mancuso, piano; Rudy Aikels, bass; Santos Savino, drums; and Lisa Robomoto, vocals are at the Manhattan, Sundays from 3:30-7:30 p.m. and Wednesdays at Carollo's from 7-11 p.m. ... Highly recommended.

Brendan Boyer & the Royal Irish Show Band are back at Vacation Village through Sunday. ... Like Freddie Bell, the Treniers and a few other standard groups, each should have a home hotel here.

Star-policy rundown

It's Barbara Mandrell (Bally's), David Copperfield (Caesars), Neil Sedaka (Desert Inn), Marilyn Manson (Hard Rock), Gladys Knight (MGM Grand), Siegfried & Roy (Mirage), Lance Burton (Monte Carlo), Danny Gans (Rio) and Jeff Dunham (Sahara). ... Luther Vandross will perform at the Hard Rock Hotel at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday.

This was our second time teaching at the IAB in Montreux. ... It was wonderful spending New Year's Eve in Dublin with good friends, weather notwithstanding, and celebrating our 75th birthday, Jan. 9, with the students and faculty. ... We'll go for year 76 in Montreux, three weeks starting Jan. 5, l998... We look forward to it.

Incidentally, this Dublin stop was our 38th Irish visit in 40 years. ... In January 1957, we spent our first night at Brendan Behan's house in Ballsbridge. ... Brendan left us much too soon.

Still here

This is our 24th year teaching a three-credit Hotel Entertainment course in UNLV's College of Hotel Administration and our 30th year as critic and columnist at the SUN. ... We will also be producing at least three mariachi festivals this fall -- one or two in the Aladdin Theatre for the Performing Arts plus Phoenix and Tucson in December. ... We're grateful there is still some call for what we do. ... See you Friday.