David Chevan's mid-May Music Update

[DAVID CHEVAN <dchevan...>]

David Chevan's mid-May Music Update

In this issue of the newsletter news about:
I.   SCSU Creative Music Orchestra
II.  Avadim Hayinu: news about concerts and the new CD
III. Chevan-Cadwallader Duo and The Art of Trio
IV. The Afro-Semitic Experience
V.  Music Events in Calendar Format

SCSU CREATIVE MUSIC ORCHESTRA
The SCSU Creative Music Orchestra had a great spring season.  I haven't
planned our fall season yet, but do check in sometime in late July.  The
fall is always an interesting period for this ensemble because of the many
new voices that join the group.  Its hard for me when my students graduate.
I feel as though I've lost an important voice and this year I lost four of
my most mature players.  But that is what is supposed to happen at a school
and I have to keep reminding myself that this just opens up more room for
the younger developing voices.  As we completed our last concert of the
spring I smiled at the thought that the band will never sound this way again
and that's just how it should be.  I an exciting program of concerts
scheduled for the Spring 2001 semester.  One of the many highlights of a
great year was the visit by our guest composer and pianist, Anthony Coleman.
Anthony worked with us for on a month developing a set of original
compositions.  Not only is he a gifted composer and performer Anthony was an
incredible teacher.  I know that I learned a great deal as I watched him run
the ensemble.

The SCSU Creative Music Orchestra rehearses on Tuesday evenings in Room 118
of Earl Hall from 7:30 - about 10 p.m.  We will begin rehearsing again at
the start of the Fall 2001 semester.  As always there is no audition, anyone
in the community (but especially SCSU or prospective SCSU students) is
welcome to join the Orchestra.  If you're interested or know of potential
musicians please give me (David Chevan)  a call at my office at SCSU, the
number is (203) 392-6630 and the voice mail is always on.

 AVADIM HAYINU: The New CD is out: "Let Us Break Bread Together"
Lots of reviews and Upcoming Performances

Last  spring Warren Byrd and I began to work on a new CD, a follow-up to
Avadim Hayinu.  The project turned out to be a real team effort.  We spent
two days and nights at the Horizon Recording Studio in West Haven working
closely with engineer Vic Steffens.  One luxury that we were grateful for
was that our piano was tuned twice a day by Debbie Mason (she tunes my piano
at home and if you live in Connecticut I'd be glad to give you her phone
number).  We recorded the entire album direct to two-track without any over
dubbing.  Then we had to pick the best takes, shoot photos with Ben
Ledbetter, compile the liner notes--thanks to Julius Lester, and assemble
the package.  Thank goodness for Jay Miles, percussionist for The
Afro-Semitic Experience.  Jay is an accomplished graphic designer who put
together all of the pieces and is responsible for the CD looking as good as
it does.


There is a brand article and interview with us, just written and out only on
the internet, by world music specialist Paula Kirman at about.com.  The URL
for the article is
http://worldmusic.about.com/musicperform/worldmusic/library/weekly/aa051101a
.h tm

The album was released last November.  It is called 'Let Us Break Bread
Together,' after the traditional African-American spiritual. Like Avadim
Hayinu, our first release, the new CD includes interpretations of sacred
music from the Jewish and African-American traditions.  Warren and I are
excited to report that the critics are receiving it well.  Here are a few
quotes:
Jazz critic Bob Blumenthal wrote in the Boston Globe that the album was a
'CD of heartfelt inter denominational duets." Fran Fried included it in the
number 3 slot in his top ten list of Connecticut albums of 2000, right after
the new albums by the Mitchell-Ruff duo and Dave Brubeck.  George Robinson
wrote in The Jewish Voice, 'Let Us Break' is an excellent record of
intelligent and thoughtful music, and I recommend it highly. 4 ½ stars!'
Martin Goldsmith, former host for NPR's Performance Today wrote in the
Forward, 'Leave it to the artists among us to heal the breach. On their new
CD, 'Let Us Break Bread Together: Further Explorations of the Afro-Semitic
Experience', pianist Warren Byrd and double bassist David Chevan explore and
celebrate the musical ties that have bound these two traditions together
across centuries of suffering and redemption. . . . Listening to this CD is
a bit like checking out a funky little club in the basement of a church or
shul. Or listening to a sermon on a bus ride headed South.'  Author Seth
Rogovoy ('The Essential Klezmer') has included a review of 'Let Us Break
Bread Together' in his monthly column for the Berkshires Week.  Its in an
article called  'New Music for the Global Village'.  The piece is a summary
of new Jewish music recordings, which, to quote Rogovoy 'reflect and respond
to the reality of life in the 'global shtetl.''   The URL that will take you
directly to this article is:
http://www.berkshiresweek.com/insider6.html

Nils Jacobson of  All About Jazz.com wrote that the new CD "is more a joyous
celebration of diversity than it is any kind of solemn piece of gravity. . .
"Let Us Break Bread Together" successfully accomplishes its goal of
combining African- American and Jewish experiences, offering a mixture of
music which can be appreciated from any cultural perspective. And there's no
reason not to tap your toes while the music dances forward." John Barrett's,
Short Takes, JazzUSA.com concludes that "This sound, the common experience
of two peoples, has a message -and beauty- for all people."

Our trip to Temple Emanu-El, in Birmingham, Alabama at the beginning of
February was an extraordinary experience for us.  When we were invited last
year for a weekend residence at the synagogue we hardly knew what we could
expect.  Our weekend began on Friday evening with our participation in the
service at the synagogue.  We accompanied Cantor Jessica Roskin and also had
the opportunity to play a few pieces and introduce ourselves to the
congregation.  Among the worship pieces we played was a beautiful new melody
for V'Shamru that was composed by Cantor Roskin's husband, composer and
performer Steve Dropkin.  The following morning we will met with the Torah
study group and presented a workshop about our music and how we develop our
ideas.  This led to a rather interesting question and answer period.  We
closed our workshop by demonstrating how we turn a piece of sacred song into
a jazz arrangement.  In this case we presented Debbie Friedman's "Mi
Sheberach" which we had both played for the very first time ever the night
before while accompanying Cantor Roskin.

After services Warren and I had some time to be tourists.  I visited the
Birmingham Civil Rights Institute where I had an opportunity to tour the
facility and see their museum.  This is a worthwhile visit for anyone going
to Birmingham.  This museum is a reminder of the extraordinary road that the
Civil Rights movement had to take during the 1950s and 1960s.  There is
nothing that can compare to actually grasping in one's hands the bars of the
prison cell in which Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was held while in
Birmingham.

That evening we gave a concert again at Temple Emanu-El.  The event was well
attended and Warren and I were in rare form.  Perhaps it was the events of
the day, I'm not sure, because we've had some extraordinary concerts in the
past, but I don't we've ever played with the intensity and feeling that
occurred that night.   It is rare that I can say that a particular
experience transformed us, but I'd have to say that this event did.  Already
we can both feel a new sense of artistic accomplishment in our work.
Following the concert we were hosted by Cantor Roskin and her husband Steve
Dropkin.  Steve is a gifted artist in his own right and a gracious host. We
all had a beautiful evening discussing music and eating pizza!
Warren and I got home just in time to experience a snow storm that left a
foot and a half of snow at my doorstep.  Suddenly I missed the balmy climate
of Birmingham.  We are hoping that we will someday go back.

We do have a few performances scheduled for this summer. Here are the
details as we know them so far:

On Thursday, May 24 at 7:00 p.m. Warren and I will give a special concert at
Federation Homes in Bloomfield, Connecticut.  Federation Homes is a unique
senior residence with residents who are predominantly African-American and
Jewish.  Warren and I feel honored to have been asked to give a concert for
our elders.  Although this event is primarily for the residents of this
center, it is free and open to the public.  Federation Homes is located at
156 Wintonbury Avenue in Bloomfield, Connecticut. For more information or
directions on how to get to the please call Joan Levi at 860-243-2535, ext.
13.

Warren and I will be featured in performance on the closing day of the
Washington DC Jewish Music Festival at the Washington DC Jewish Community
Center this June.  The date of the concert is now scheduled for Sunday, June
24 at 3:00 p.m. at the JCC.

On Saturday, July 8 at 8:00 p.m. Warren and I will be giving a concert at
the World Fellowship Center in Conway, New Hampshire.  This concert is the
first event in a week of activities on the subject of Jewish History and
Culture.  The World Fellowship Center is located in the White Mountains of
New Hampshire and offers a unique setting for those who want a little
education and an opportunity to share ideas while taking a vacation.  For
more information about the concert or staying at the World Fellowship Center
you can call them at 603-447-2280 or visit their website at
www.worldfellowship.org.

We will be visiting Temple Israel of Greater Miami for the weekend of
September 8 and 9. Temple Israel of Greater Miami is an historic central
city temple that has a history of presenting programs on Black-Jewish
relations.   We will be participating in Friday night services on September
8. Then we will present a series of workshops during the day on September 9.
That evening we will play a concert and participate in the Selichot services
at the temple.  This should be an beautiful evening of music and prayer as
Temple Israel recently engaged Rabbi Chaim Stern to be their spiritual
leader. Rabbi Stern is the author of all of the reform prayer books for the
last 25 years, including Gates of Prayer and Gates of Remembrance, as well
as the reform movement's Selichot service.  Temple Israel of Greater Miami
is located at 137 NE 19 St., Miami, Florida and the phone number is
305-573-5900.  The URL for the Temple website is www.templeisrael.net.

There are several tentative performances in the planning stages right now
including a trip to Wayne State University in Detroit.  I'll include
information on these as soon as plans are finalized.

Chevan-Cadwallader Duo and The Art of Trio
Our recent CD, The Art of Trio, featuring guest artists flutist Ali Ryerson;
vocalist Giacomo Gates; trombonist Jim Fryer; saxophonist Tim Moran; and
dobro master, Stacy Phillips was included by Fran Fried of the New Haven
Register in his Best of 2000 list for Connecticut music.  The CD has also
been reviewed by an on-line jazz magazine, The Jazz Review. It's a
flattering review.  According to the reviewer there is 'A lot of fine, fine
talent on THE ART OF TRIO, a CD that delivers and delivers well!'
If you want to read the entire article, the URL for the review is
http://www.jazzreview.com/jaagas106.html


A piece of very exciting news for The Art of Trio.  We have been invited to
perform at the International Festival of Arts and Ideas. We're quite excited
and honored to be representing local community and the current state of
Connecticut jazz at this festival.  The concert will be held at the  Yale
University Hall of Graduate Studies Courtyard  on Thursday, June 21 at 8:00
p.m.  For further information about this event call 1-888-ART-IDEA Rex and I
will share the stage with five of the best jazz musicians in Connecticut.
Joining us for the evening will be four artists from The Art of Trio CD, Jim
Fryer, Giacomo Gates, Tim Moran and Stacy Phillips.  Our fifth guest is
flutist Sherry Winston.  Sherry is a gifted artist with several CDs
including one that was nominated for a Grammy award.  If you would like to
learn more about Sherry, you can visit her website at www.sherrywinston.com.


Here's what was written in the International Festival bulletin:
"Recognized by jazz enthusiasts as one of the nation's top-notch duos,
pianist Rex Cadwallader and bassist David Chevan promise an engaging evening
of originals and time-honored standards that all music lovers will enjoy.
Cadwallader and Chevan will be joined by special guest artists, including
Giacomo Gates, Stacy Phillips, Tim Moran, Sherry Winston and Jim Fryer, to
present The Art of Trio. "

 We haven't played our last concert of the season and The Art of Trio
concert series has already been renewed for next year.  Our last concert in
Milford for this year will be on  May 18.  We will feature the vocal
stylings of Nancy Monroe.  Nancy is a critically acclaimed vocal artist
whose recordings have been hailed in Cadence Magazine and Jazziz.  She is
one of the up and coming vocal stars on the jazz scene.  The concert begins
at 7:30 p.m. and the Milford Fine Arts Council is located at 40 Railroad
Avenue South and the phone number for tickets and further info is (203)
878-6647.  I will post the season for next year as soon as I learn the dates
and details.

 The jazz duo of Rex Cadwallader and David Chevan will be appearing
Saturday, May 12 and May 26 at New Haven's newest and most beautiful and
engaging jazz venue, Sage American Bar & Grill (formerly The Chart House).
Located at 100 South Water Street in New Haven, the room looks out over the
harbor, with Lighthouse Point in the distance, and provides jazz fans and
casual listeners with not only a gorgeous venue, but the very best of
intimate jazz.  Music begins at 8:00 p.m. and goes until 11:00. (Telephone
787-3466).

AFRO-SEMITIC EXPERIENCE
Last year Warren Byrd and I were asked if we had a band that could perform
our brand of Jewish and African-American music.  We were enticed by the idea
and not long after we began adding new material to the Bassology set lists.
Before long we were jamming on Klezmer and Yiddish songs along with our
usual assortment of jazz and world music pieces. Pretty soon it was obvious
that a second band had emerged and I began calling it 'The Afro-Semitic
Experience.'  The band has now played in public quite a few times and we've
begun to develop a style and a sense of direction.  In fact, last year we
placed second in the New Haven Advocate's Grand Band Slam in the category of
Instrumental bands.  After our Grand Band Slam showcase the Advocate
described the band's performance as a 'mind-blowing experience'.

The group has a once-every-other-month gig at the Buttonwood Tree in
Middletown, Connecticut.  Our last performance of the season at the
Buttonwood will be Monday, June 4, 2001,  at 8:30 p.m. and we hope that many
of you will come out to hear us.  The Buttonwood is located at 605 Main St.
in Middletown, Connecticut and the phone number is (860) 347-4957.  The band
that evening will include Warren Byrd on piano, Richard McGhee on soprano
saxophone, Will Bartlett on clarinet and tenor saxophone, and Alvin Carter,
Jr. and Jason Miles on percussion.

The AFRO-SEMITIC EXPERIENCE will be giving a free outdoor concert at 12:00
p.m. on Friday June 15 at the Yale New Haven Hospital as part of their
lunchtime concert series.

Our performance at the Tune Inn earlier this year was the result of the
band's placing second in the Instrumental category of the New Haven
Advocate's Grand Band Slam readers poll.  The results of the poll and a
photo of us (well, some of us) performing at the Tune Inn can be found at
this URL: http://www.newhavenadvocate.com/newhome.html
Its not a bad photo and they even describe our performance as a
'mind-blowing experience.'

As always, if you have any questions about the performances and activities
listed above, please give me a call at my office at (203) 392-6630 or write
to me at dchevan (at) snet(dot)net(dot) Thank you for all of the support I have 
received
over the past few years.

Finally, people have been asking me how to get hold of my CDs.  I know how
that it is almost impossible is to find them in stores and I apologize for
that.  For whatever reason, I still haven't been able to get a distributor
interested in helping me to disseminate my music.  The easiest place to find
my entire catalogue is at www.amazon.com.  There are two other on-line
sources that carry at least some of my music: www.jewishmusic.com and
www.radioboston.com.  The other way to get an album is to order it directly
from me.  All of my CDs are $15 apiece plus $1.50 per complete order for
postage (that's $1.50 per order, not per CD, this offer is limited to a
maximum of ten CDs per order).  Please make a check out to me and send it
to:

David Chevan
P.O. Box 6183
Whitneyville, CT 06517

Bassologically yours,


David Chevan

David Chevan's Music Events in Calendar Format

 Saturday May 12, Cadwallader Chevan Duo, Sage American Bar & Grill
(formerly The Chart House), 100 South Water Street, New Haven, (203)
787-3466

 Friday, May 18, 2001 at 7:30 p.m., The Art of Trio, at the Milford Center
for the Arts. with Rex Cadwallader and special guest Nancy Monroe, at 40
Railroad Avenue South, Milford, (203) 878-6647.

 Thursday, May 24,   Avadim Hayinu, with Warren Byrd, 7:00 p.m. at
Federation Homes, 156 Wintonbury Avenue in Bloomfield, Connecticut. For more
information or directions on how to get to the please call Joan Levi at 860-
243-2535, ext. 13.

 Saturday, May 26, Cadwallader Chevan Duo, Sage American Bar & Grill
(formerly The Chart House), 100 South Water Street, New Haven, (203)
787-3466

 Monday, June 4, DAVID CHEVAN'S AFRO-SEMITIC EXPERIENCE 8:30 p.m. at the
Buttonwood Tree with Rich McGhee on soprano sax and Warren Byrd on piano,
Stacy Phillips on dobro and violin.  The Buttonwood Tree is located at 605
Main Street in Middletown and the phone number is (860) 347-4957.

Friday, June 15, DAVID CHEVAN'S AFRO-SEMITIC EXPERIENCE 12:00 p.m. at the
Yale New Haven Hospital lunchtime concert series.

 Thursday, June 21, at 8:00 p.m., The Art of Trio with Rex Cadwallader and
special guests,  Jim Fryer, Giacomo Gates, Tim Moran, Stacy Phillips, and
Sherry Winston at the International Festival of Arts and Ideas.  Yale
University Hall of Graduate Studies Courtyard, for further information on
Thursday, June 21  For further information about this event call
1-888-ART-IDEA.

 Sunday, June 24, 2001, Avadim Hayinu, with Warren Byrd, 3:00 p.m., at the
Washington D.C. Jewish Music Festival, Jewish Community Center of
Washington, D.C., 1529 16th Street, NW, Washington, DC

 Saturday, July 8, 2001,  Avadim Hayinu, with Warren Byrd, at 8:00 p.m., at
the  World Fellowship Center in Conway, New Hampshire.  For information
about the concert call 603-447-2280 or visit their website at
www.worldfellowship.org.

 September 8 and 9, 2001, Avadim Hayinu, with Warren Byrd, at Temple Israel
of Greater Miami. Friday night services on September 8, workshops during the
day on September 9 and that evening a concert and Selichot services. Temple
Israel of Greater Miami is at 137 NE 19 St., Miami, Florida and the phone
number is 305-573-5900.  The URL for the Temple website is
www.templeisrael.net.


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

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