THE AFRO-SEMITIC EXPERIENCE

We recently had the opportunity to present a workshop with the Freeport Middle School Concert Band while we were artists in residence at the Maine Jewish Museum. What a time we had these young men and women. We worked with the students on our arrangement of Eliyahu Hanavi and shared some of our stories with them. Will and Saskia worked with the horns to help them with their lines.  We played various sections over and over and helped them to find their jazz feel with the phrasing. Then we played the piece all the way through. What a big sound we had with 60 musicians playing this arrangment together!! 

The afternoon culminated with a big pizza party for the students. 

Will Bartlett helped the horn players learn their lines.

Later that evening, at our concert, several students came back and we played the arrangement during the concert. The audience loved it! 

During the workshop Jocelyn led the percussionists and taught them some grooving rhythms to accompany the band.

It’s been a kind of odd season for the Afro-Semitic Experience.  Either we’re busy, or we’re going through a moment where there’s just nothing on the books.  Right now, we’re experiencing a good moment as we’ve got four performances coming up this month.  Two here in Connecticut where we’re based and one in Vermont and one in Plainfield, New Jersy.

This Monday, August 12, we are playing for the Paul Brown Monday Jazz Series, Bushnell Park. The evening begins with a set by our friend Sarah Uyar at 6 pm, and we are on at 7:30 pm. We’re going to be joined by a small choir that includes Tara Chapman, Cantor Sabrina Lipman, and Jonathan Berryman as we’ll feature music from our most recent album, Our Feet Began to Pray.  (The weather is looking good, but should it rain, there is a rain venue, Asylum Hill Congregational Church at 814 Asylum Ave, Hartford). For more information please visit the Hartford Jazz Society’s site.

Then, on Thursday, August 15 we are traveling to Barnard, Vermont for a performance in the BarnArts Music Series 2024, @ Feast and Field.  We’re playing two sets and the first set begins at 7 pm. The venue is a big tent so once again, it’s rain or shine.  Feast and Field is located at 1525 Royalton Turnpike, South Royalton, Vermont. Here’s a link to the BarnArts Music Series 2024.

On Tuesday, August 20 Afro-Semitic Experience will play an outdoor concert in Redding, Connecticut. Rain date is the following night. We’re playing at Topstone Park for a 7 pm concert.  The address is 72 Topstone Road, in Redding.  It’s a cool location right by a lake.  For more information, click here.

On Saturday, August 24 the Afro-Semitic Experience will perform in concert at the Plainfield Performing Arts Center, 1111 E. 2^nd Street, in Plainfield, New Jersey The concert starts at 7:30 pm. We’ll have even more information about that event soon, they haven’t uploaded it yet to the performing arts center website, but it will be there soon. 

The video for our song, Unity in the Community now has close to 1,000 views. If you haven’t seen it yet, perhaps now’s the time.  What we especially like about the message is that it’s for everyone. It’s not a blue message or a red message—it’s a message for us all.  If you like this song, please share it with your friends.   

Unity in the Community: https://youtu.be/7c0jfuGA2BY?si=HLNJeM1TRLkZ83KA

Hope you can come see us before the summer ends!!

Àse and Shalom,

Alvin, David, Jocelyn, Orice, Saskia, Warren, and Will

The Afro-Semitic Experience

We merge our musical roots, Jewish and Afro-diasporic melodies and grooves, combining the core concepts of àse and shalom - power, action, unity, and peace. 

Warren Byrd was interviewed by Paul Bass on Dateline New Haven. Warren talks with Paul about his life, his artistry and about Our Feet Began to Pray, the new Afro-Semitic Experience album.

Here's a lnk to the full interview  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KpOPKhkEFac or just click below!

Band cofounders Warren Byrd and David Chevan visited WTNH this week for an interview with Ann Nyberg.  They talked about the band, their new album and the song Unity in the Community.

If you haven't seen it, here's a link to the interview: 

https://www.wtnh.com/on-air/nyberg/nyberg-new-haven-band-hopes-to-bring-people-together/

We had a blast this past weekend playing at CT Folkfest in New Haven's Edgerton Park. It was our first time playing at a folk festival and we don't know why we haven't done it sooner. What we play, at some level, is a form of folk jazz. Much of the music that we don't compose comes from the Jewish and African American folk traditions. If you know of any folk festivals where we should be playing please let us know. 

In the meantime, enjoy these terrific photos, all taken by our friend, photographer Gary Hochman. 

This is a great photo of Saskia Laroo and one of our favorite dancers, Eric Triffin

Warren, David, and Saskia performed on June 29 at the Balagan Festival in Florence, Italy.  The concert took place on the steps of the Great Synagogue of Florence.  It was a good sized and very lively audience.

Here's a video of the group performing Unity in the Community:

Baba David Coleman, drummer, teacher, priest, and founding member of the Afro-Semitic Experience is suffering from stage IV cancer that has spread throughout his body. 

He is being cared for by his family in Ohio.  

They don’t have the financial resources to cover his medical expenses or even his day-to-day expenses.  If you can help, your generosity will be greatly appreciated. Over the years many of you have been touched by Baba David's loving spirit and he has brought his love to so many around the world. This is truly his moment of need. 

 Here is the link for the Go Fund Me page to support Baba David Coleman: 

https://gofund.me/40763573 

Like so many other musical groups, we have been without performances for much of the pandemic.  We had a few moments here and there, such as our performance of Letters from the Affair at the Providence Fringe in the summer or this collaboration on the Hassidic Kaddish with our friend, Cantor Erik Contzius this past fall: 

 https://youtu.be/a0EhCrbXdSU 

That changed for us for a couple of weeks as found ourselves, for a short while, with a busy January.  So busy, in fact, that on January 15, the Friday evening of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. weekend, we managed to virtually participate in seven services and concerts.   Here are some links to some samples of that evening. 

We prerecorded our part for a service services at Congregation Beth Ahabah in Richmond Virginia.  And then Cantor Sarah Beck Berman recorded herself into the group.  It’s a beautiful service that you can find here: 

https://youtu.be/5ksq2y0oFao 

We prerecorded music for the entire MLK service for Congregation Mishkan Israel Hamden, together with Cantor Arthur Giglio. The service can be found on the synagogue’s Livestream page in two parts.  If you search on the livestream page for January 15 you will be able to hear us on the streams for Kabbalat Shabbat Services and the CMI MLK service Livestream — Congregation Mishkan Israel (cmihamden.org) 

Meanwhile, at the MLK service at Temple Beth El of Great Neck, Cantor Adam Davis sang along live with our prerecorded videos of the service. 

https://youtu.be/q9FewM82q0Y 

And we also recorded a concert for Temple Beth Elohim in Wellesley our concert and our conversation with members of the synagogue can be heard here: https://youtu.be/4N8haCPEgc0 

Shabbat Shirah is the Sabbath observed every year that marks the reading of the Torah portion in which the Hebrew slaves cross the Red Sea and become a free people. After the crossing the newly freed Hebrews sang two songs of gratitude and freedom. While many people rightly think of Passover as the essential Jewish holiday for the celebration of freedom this is another moment in the year when we celebrate freedom, and it is a Sabbath that emphasizes celebration through music and song. This year, for Shabbat Shirah, on January 29, band cofounders Warren Byrd and David Chevan went to a studio where they played a Friday night service, accompanying Cantor Meredith Greenberg for Temple Ner Tamid. After the service David and Warren played a bit more and spoke with the cantor about their music: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-pN9A4LAdME

To all our friends and fans in Ohio, 

It’s been quite a few years since we were last anywhere in your state.  

That’s about to change. 

We will be in your state next week for four performances!! 

We’re coming to celebrate the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. 

And we will be celebrating our 22nd anniversary!! 

Hope you can come to one or more of these performances.  If we aren’t going to be near you, can you please share our info with your friends and family who are going to be near us.  Here we are 22 years into our story and we still rely mostly on word of mouth to bring out our audiences. 

Here’s our itinerary: 

On Thursday, January 16, at 6 pm, we’re playing a concert at Youngstown State University.  Public is welcome to attend this event.  We’re playing in the Chestnut Room, in the Kilcawley Center, at Youngstown State University, One University Plaza, Youngstown, OH.  Here’s a link to the Facebook event for the concert: https://www.facebook.com/275991458011/posts/10159257055698012/ 

On Friday, January 17, we’re playing a concert at 6:30 pm and an interfaith MLK service at 7:30 

At Temple Israel, 432 30th Street, NW, Canton, OH 

We have a special preservice concert planned as this will be the anniversary of our very first performance 22 years ago. 

Then, on Saturday, January 18 we drive to the other side of the state for a 7:30 pm concert at the First Unitarian Church of Toledo, 3205 Glendale Ave., Toledo OH 43614-2423.  We’ve been playing in Toledo since the 1990s, but this will be our first concert there in over 8 years!!  Here’s a link to the Facebook event page for the concert: https://www.facebook.com/275991458011/posts/10159257045873012/ 

Finally, on Sunday, January 19 we will be in Cleveland for a 10 am – 1 pm workshop and concert, at Beth Israel - The West Temple, 14308 Triskett Road, Cleveland, OH 44111, 216-941-8882. This will be our third visit to Beth Israel—The West Temple.  They’ve always opened their doors to us and we are very exited to come back to share our music on MLK weekend and our 22nd anniversary weekend.  I’ve seen some posts for this on Facebook, but I don’t have any links. Please help us to get the word out to the community!! 

We’re looking forward to these four days of music and Unity in the Community.  Hope to see you at one of these performances. 

Àse and Shalom, 

Alvin, David, Jocelyn, Saskia, Warren, and Will