Warren Byrd and David Chevan release new CD of Jewish and African-American Sacred Music

[DAVID CHEVAN <dchevan...>]

Hi everyone,

I've been "off-list" for a few days so I don't know if this announce got
posted:

I've been waiting to announce the release of this CD for a few weeks now
(yes, yet another new CD) and since amazon.com has decided to accept
pre-release orders for the album I can wait no longer.  At the end of this
long message is an announcement of a "guerilla" CD release event.

Pianist Warren Byrd and I are proud to announce the release of our new CD,
LET US BREAK BREAD TOGETHER: Further Explorations of the Afro-Semitic
Experience on the Reckless DC Music label (RMCD-1049).  This recording
continues the musical exploration that we began on our 1998 album, AVADIM
HAYINU--Once We Were Slaves (Reckless DC Music RMCD-1031).  The title of
this CD, Let Us Break Bread Together, comes from an African-American
spiritual.  The idea of breaking bread as a symbol of fellowship and
community appears in both the Jewish and African-American sacred traditions.
It is also said that this was one of the songs that was used by slaves
hoping to escape to freedom and one can think of no more fitting title for
this new album.

 On this new CD, our first studio recording, we expand our interpretations
and explorations of music from the Jewish and African-American Sacred
repertoire.  The pieces on this CD include classic works such as "Soon I
Will Be Done" and Eliyahu HaNavi" along with some more recent compositions
from the Gospel and Jewish music worlds including a rollicking version of
Dorothy Love Coates' "How Much More" and a haunting rendition of Nurit
Hirsch's "Oseh Shalom."

In many ways I think that this recording is a much more fully realized
artistic work than its predecessor. Our first album, Avadim Hayinu, marked
an early stage in our collaboration and was recorded live in concert without
the opportunity for second takes.  Since that first recording, we have had
the opportunity to give numerous concerts, workshops, and interfaith
services.  In the process our repertoire and understanding of these pieces
has continued to expand. This new recording, which was partly funded by a
grant from the CSU-AAUP Research Fund, is a stronger artistic statement of a
kind that can only come out of the experience of these concerts, rehearsals
and workshops.

The album was recorded at Horizon Studios in West Haven.  In contrast to our
first CD, which was a recording of one live concert, we had two days and the
experienced engineering of Horizon owner Vic Steffens to facilitate the best
possible performance for each piece.  In keeping with the jazz spirit, this
recording made direct to digital two track without the inclusion of any
overdubs. The album includes liner notes by noted scholar and author, Dr.
Julius Lester, as well as an historical essay about the pieces on the
recording that I compiled.

Critical response to our new CD is already coming in and its quite positive:

"On, "Let Us Break Bread Together," Chevan and Byrd take on Jewish and
Gospel music with reverence, creativity, rhythmic punch, and plenty of heart
and soul."  Hankus Netsky, Klezmer Conservatory Band

"Because of the feel they bring to the music - the respect, the love, the
tenderness . . . [David Chevan and Warren Byrd] made me hear melodies I know
well in a whole new way." Dr. Julius Lester, from the liner notes to "Let Us
Break Bread Together"

The official release date of the new CD is Tuesday, November 14. BUT this CD
is already available for pre-ordering by going directly to www.amazon.com.
You can also order the album directly from me by sending a check, made out
to David Chevan, for $15 per album and $1.50 to cover postage and packaging.
My address is: P.O. Box 6183, Whitneyville, CT 06517, USA.

Our 1998 CD, AVADIM HAYINU--Once We Were Slaves (Reckless DC Music
RMCD-1031), made The Jewish Week's list of top ten Jewish recordings of the
year and critic George Robinson called album "A brilliant piano-bass duo
reading of tunes from the Jewish and African-American sacred traditions and
easily the best record I've reviewed this year. Warm, intelligent and
swinging..."  Afaa Michael Weaver, poet and author of "The Ten Lights of
God," called the CD, "wonderful. . . Avadim Hayinu has incredible resonance.
That historic and communal bond is so strong and so real. It is also
haunting."


About that "guerilla" release event.  Warren and I were booked at the last
minute to play as a jazz duo this Saturday, November 11, at the Sage Grill,
a local New Haven, CT restaurant.  While there is always a small number of
people in the lounge for the music, we would be more than happy to
"sanctify" the room and turn the evening into a CD event.  It all depends on
whether you'd like to come out and hear us.  If there are enough people in
the room who are there to hear our sacred program then we will play "with
goodness and gladness in our hearts."  The Sage American Bar & Grill
(formerly The Chart House) is located at 100 South Water Street in New
Haven, if you've never been there call for directions, the phone number is
(203) 787-3466.  We will have copies of the new CD with us that night.

We hope to see you there.

By the way, Warren and I would appreciate it if you would forward this
message to anyone you think might be interested in this announcement.

David

---------------------- jewish-music (at) shamash(dot)org ---------------------+