My new CDs make this years New Haven Register top ten list

[DAVID CHEVAN <dchevan...>]

Happy New Year to everyone.  I wasn't planning on sending any more letters
for at least a little while and then this article appeared in yesterday's
New Haven Register.

I'm just sending a portion of this article as it's quite long  to a few
friends and family members so you can feel free to share it with anyone else
if you wish.  It's quite exciting to make any top ten list for the year and
this one was in the New Haven Register, Friday, Dec. 29, 2000.  It's quite
an honor to be listed along with the Mitchell Ruff duo and Dave Brubeck (and
my college heros, the Tom-Tom Club).  The on-line and print version of the
article has a copy of one of the album covers. Here's the URL, but I'm not
sure how long they archive these pieces:
http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=1224171&BRD=1281&PAG=461&dept_id=7
563&rfi=8

Here's the piece.  Happy New Year.
David

Title:
To find the best of 2000, you had to look beyond commercial radio and its
target audience


by Fran Fried December 29, 2000


The year 2000 in pop music consisted of a few names I'd be happy never to
hear again: Britney. Christina. Backstreet Boys. 'N Sync. Creed. Kid Rock.
Limp Bizkit.

Eminem.

And not much else.

That is, unless you're among the majority of Americans who felt more
disenfranchised than ever by your local commercial radio station, which is
probably owned by some out-of-state conglomerate.
Which is why people started listening to Web radio and  ownloading mp3s in
mass quantities. Which is why the  recording industry, fearful of losing its
fatted calf, went after Napster with such a vengeance.

So what about the people who didn't fit the target radio  demographics of
ages 12-plus or 18-34 - which is really one big demo of 12-25? If you
weren't some generic, R&B-laced white pop act from Orlando; or some loud
"rock" band that moaned or groaned or shouted while only playing one chord
and 16 notes a minute; or some act that just tried to shock for the sake of
shocking, then you didn't count.

And as the playlist noose drew tighter, even established acts had a hard
time. The Wallflowers, Joan Osborne, Erykah Badu and Barenaked Ladies
haven't come near selling what their previous albums did, nor have they been
receiving much airplay, either. Granted, Badu's "Mama's Gun" is lukewarm,
but The Wallflowers and Osborne put out the best albums of their young
careers, and Barenaked Ladies' "Maroon" is strong as well. Something's not
right when these are the acts being treated as disposables.

If there's an encouraging sign, it's that the latest Beatles rehash, "1,"
knocked the fairly fresh "Black & Blue" by the Backstreet Boys off the top
of the charts last month. I take that as a cry that there are still many
people who want something that's not generic, something with a beat and a
melody - something that just plain rocks.

In theory, my best-of list for 2000 isn't meant to be an "alternative" list.
But as Peter Zaremba of The Fleshtones told me earlier this year, "Rock is
underground again." So, as you'll read, are a lot of things not associated
with the underground, or even rock:


Best state stuff

» "Breaking the Silence: Standards, Strayhorn & Lullabies" - The Mitchell
Ruff Duo: Longtime bassist/hornist and Yale music professor Willie Ruff of
Branford compiled this disc of songs recorded through the years with his
45-year piano partner, Dwike Mitchell, as a companion to the second
publishing of William Zinsser's book about them, "Mitchell & Ruff"
(previously titled "Willie & Dwike"). It showcases their affinity for both
jazz and classical realms (Stravinsky's "Firebird Suite"), with three tunes
by their old friend Billy Strayhorn for good measure. Of course, it also
showcases the quality of two men who have brought a great deal to this city.

» "One Alone" - Dave Brubeck: Wilton's resident jazz legend, who turned 80
Dec. 6, shows his gentle, elegant side here, going solo with an album of pop
and jazz standards and a couple of his own compositions. As you could tell
if you saw him smiling away while playing on the New Haven Green in August,
he still loves what he does, and it shows here.

» "The Art of Trio" - Chevan/Cadwallader and "Let Us Break Bread Together" -
David Chevan/Warren Byrd: The always-busy Hamden bassist David Chevan comes
through twice this year on disc.

The former album is an exercise in versatility. Chevan and Milford pianist
Rex Cadwallader have been doing their "Art of Trio" shows around the area
the last two years. Similar to what another bassist, Rob Wasserman, did with
his "Duets" and "Trios" albums, the duo and a small but widely diverse
circle of friends (flutist Ali Ryerson, saxophonist Tim Moran, Dobro
guitarist Stacy Phillips, singer Giacomo Gates and brassman Jim Fryer), show
just how you can build on one framework.

The latter album, with Hartford pianist Warren Byrd, is a further (and again
rich) exploration of the seemingly incongruous common grounds between
African-American and Jewish-American music, which they first kicked around
two years ago on the album "Avadim Hayinu: Once We Were Slaves."

» "The Good, the Bad and the Funky" - Tom Tom Club: Their sound is harder,
more urban, than the island-borne funky feel of "Genius of Love" and "Wordy
Rappinghood" 19 years ago, but there's no mistaking the trademark Tom Tom
Club whimsy. Local angle: Milford reggae singer Mystic Bowie did his share
of singing on the album and is in the touring band.

» "The First, The Last, The Tribe" - Gargantua Soul: What sets New Haven's
hard-working hopefuls apart from a lot of loud, young, grinding product is
their positive vibrations and flat-out enthusiasm _ not to mention a singer
(longtime local fixture Kris Keyes) painted orange. Hope they can get heard
on a national level (besides the Woodstock Ô99 gig and an appearance on
"Farm Club") before fickle tastes change.

©New Haven Register 2000






<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>
David Chevan, Bassologist
for more info visit my web site located at
 www.chevan.addr.com


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