THE AFRO-SEMITIC EXPERIENCE

This past Sunday (October 7), the Afro-Semitic Experience played in Park Slope Brooklyn at Congregation Beth Elohim. The synagogue is celebrating it's 150th anniversary and they sure know how to celebrate. The day began with a service in the sanctuary and was supposed to then become a street party, but the weather turned rainy. Instead the band played in the Beth Elohim ballroom. Here are some shots of the band getting down at Congregation Beth Elohim:
Abu Alvin Carter, Sr. gives a benediction before the band begins it's set.


Saskia Laroo on trumpet!!


The Carter family!!! Alvin, Jr. and Alvin, Sr.





Will Bartlett on tenor sax with Warren chillin' on the keys


The backline: Warren Byrd on keys, David Chevan on bass, Alvin and Abu Carter


The band played a hora and everyone in the room made a big circle and started dancing!!!



Here's a link to a YouTube video of Beth Elohim's Cantor Josh Breitzer dancing that same hora with his newborn son, Jonah. Give a click!! You can hear the Afro-Semitic Experience jammin' in the background. All in all a great time was had by all. Thanks to Congregation Beth Elohim for asking us to be a part of this special day.

This past Sunday (October 7), the Afro-Semitic Experience played in Park Slope Brooklyn at Congregation Beth Elohim. The synagogue is celebrating it's 150th anniversary and they sure know how to celebrate. The day began with a service in the sanctuary and was supposed to then become a street party, but the weather turned rainy. Instead the band played in the Beth Elohim ballroom. Here are some shots of the band getting down at Congregation Beth Elohim:
Abu Alvin Carter, Sr. gives a benediction before the band begins it's set.


Saskia Laroo on trumpet!!


The Carter family!!! Alvin, Jr. and Alvin, Sr.





Will Bartlett on tenor sax with Warren chillin' on the keys


The backline: Warren Byrd on keys, David Chevan on bass, Alvin and Abu Carter


The band played a hora and everyone in the room made a big circle and started dancing!!!



Here's a link to a YouTube video of Beth Elohim's Cantor Josh Breitzer dancing that same hora with his newborn son, Jonah. Give a click!! You can hear the Afro-Semitic Experience jammin' in the background. All in all a great time was had by all. Thanks to Congregation Beth Elohim for asking us to be a part of this special day.

This past Sunday (October 7), the Afro-Semitic Experience played in Park Slope Brooklyn at Congregation Beth Elohim. The synagogue is celebrating it's 150th anniversary and they sure know how to celebrate. The day began with a service in the sanctuary and was supposed to then become a street party, but the weather turned rainy. Instead the band played in the Beth Elohim ballroom. Here are some shots of the band getting down at Congregation Beth Elohim:
Abu Alvin Carter, Sr. gives a benediction before the band begins it's set.


Saskia Laroo on trumpet!!


The Carter family!!! Alvin, Jr. and Alvin, Sr.





Will Bartlett on tenor sax with Warren chillin' on the keys


The backline: Warren Byrd on keys, David Chevan on bass, Alvin and Abu Carter


The band played a hora and everyone in the room made a big circle and started dancing!!!



Here's a link to a YouTube video of Beth Elohim's Cantor Josh Breitzer dancing that same hora with his newborn son, Jonah. Give a click!! You can hear the Afro-Semitic Experience jammin' in the background. All in all a great time was had by all. Thanks to Congregation Beth Elohim for asking us to be a part of this special day.

New Haven concert to Premiere of Jazz Souls on Fire (and reprise music from Further Definitions)

On Wednesday, September 5 the Afro-Semitic Experience will be giving their first concert in the New Haven area since 2010. We’re playing at Congregation Beth El Keser Israel (better known as BEKI) in the Westville neighborhood of New Haven. We’re playing two sets of music that night—for our first set (which begins at 6:30 pm) we are going to premiere music from our new project, “JaZZ SouLs oN FiRE”. And for our second set (around 7:30 pm or so) we are being joined by Cantor Erik Contzius to sing music from Further Definitions of the Days of Awe our ongoing spiritual musical exploration of music for the High Holy Days. Erik was with us when we performed (and recorded) the Further Definitions concerts in New York and Greenfield, but he wasn’t able to make the New Haven concert. But this won’t be Erik’s first concert in New Haven (that I know of) as he sang some of our music from our setting of “Yizkor” at an SCSU Holocaust event a few years ago.
BEKI ‘s address is 85 Harrison Street—it’s just off Whalley Avenue in New Haven. Here’s the important info: A light supper/dessert will be served. Tickets at the door are $18 for adults and $12 for seniors (65 and over) and students. For more information, please contact Darryl Kuperstock (kuperst@aol.com / 203-387-0304), Isaiah Cooper (icooper@cooperlaw.net / 203-233-4547), or the BEKI office (office@beki.org / 203-389-2108).
On Saturday, September 8, Will, Warren, and David are going to Temple Israel Center of White Plains to accompany Cantor Jack Mendelson and a choir made up of several members of the Western Wind for a Selichot service. If you’re in the Greater New York/Westchester area and you haven’t heard Cantor Mendelson daven, then you don’t know what it is like for you to be so taken into that hazzonos realm that it takes a good long while for you to realize that you’ve been standing so long your feet are starting to hurt. The service begins around 11 pm and goes till . . .? Temple Israel Center of White Plains is located at 280 Old Mamaroneck Road White Plains, New York.
The next day, on Sunday, September 9, the Afro-Semitic Experience is going to be performing at the Syracuse Jewish Festival, in Syracuse, New York. Actually we are not going to Syracuse, we are going to DeWitt, because that is where the JCC is located. We’re going to be the featured artists at the festival and in addition to our own music we’ll be also playing with the Syracuse Chapter of the Gospel Workshop of America. And, if that isn’t enough they want us to play some traditional Jewish Dance music so that they can compete to be in the Guinness Book of World Records for the worlds largest Hora!!! For more information about the Syracuse Jewish Festival please click here to visit their web site.

New Haven concert to Premiere of Jazz Souls on Fire (and reprise music from Further Definitions)

On Wednesday, September 5 the Afro-Semitic Experience will be giving their first concert in the New Haven area since 2010. We’re playing at Congregation Beth El Keser Israel (better known as BEKI) in the Westville neighborhood of New Haven. We’re playing two sets of music that night—for our first set (which begins at 6:30 pm) we are going to premiere music from our new project, “JaZZ SouLs oN FiRE”. And for our second set (around 7:30 pm or so) we are being joined by Cantor Erik Contzius to sing music from Further Definitions of the Days of Awe our ongoing spiritual musical exploration of music for the High Holy Days. Erik was with us when we performed (and recorded) the Further Definitions concerts in New York and Greenfield, but he wasn’t able to make the New Haven concert. But this won’t be Erik’s first concert in New Haven (that I know of) as he sang some of our music from our setting of “Yizkor” at an SCSU Holocaust event a few years ago.
BEKI ‘s address is 85 Harrison Street—it’s just off Whalley Avenue in New Haven. Here’s the important info: A light supper/dessert will be served. Tickets at the door are $18 for adults and $12 for seniors (65 and over) and students. For more information, please contact Darryl Kuperstock (kuperst@aol.com / 203-387-0304), Isaiah Cooper (icooper@cooperlaw.net / 203-233-4547), or the BEKI office (office@beki.org / 203-389-2108).
On Saturday, September 8, Will, Warren, and David are going to Temple Israel Center of White Plains to accompany Cantor Jack Mendelson and a choir made up of several members of the Western Wind for a Selichot service. If you’re in the Greater New York/Westchester area and you haven’t heard Cantor Mendelson daven, then you don’t know what it is like for you to be so taken into that hazzonos realm that it takes a good long while for you to realize that you’ve been standing so long your feet are starting to hurt. The service begins around 11 pm and goes till . . .? Temple Israel Center of White Plains is located at 280 Old Mamaroneck Road White Plains, New York.
The next day, on Sunday, September 9, the Afro-Semitic Experience is going to be performing at the Syracuse Jewish Festival, in Syracuse, New York. Actually we are not going to Syracuse, we are going to DeWitt, because that is where the JCC is located. We’re going to be the featured artists at the festival and in addition to our own music we’ll be also playing with the Syracuse Chapter of the Gospel Workshop of America. And, if that isn’t enough they want us to play some traditional Jewish Dance music so that they can compete to be in the Guinness Book of World Records for the worlds largest Hora!!! For more information about the Syracuse Jewish Festival please click here to visit their web site.

New Haven concert to Premiere of Jazz Souls on Fire (and reprise music from Further Definitions)

On Wednesday, September 5 the Afro-Semitic Experience will be giving their first concert in the New Haven area since 2010. We’re playing at Congregation Beth El Keser Israel (better known as BEKI) in the Westville neighborhood of New Haven. We’re playing two sets of music that night—for our first set (which begins at 6:30 pm) we are going to premiere music from our new project, “JaZZ SouLs oN FiRE”. And for our second set (around 7:30 pm or so) we are being joined by Cantor Erik Contzius to sing music from Further Definitions of the Days of Awe our ongoing spiritual musical exploration of music for the High Holy Days. Erik was with us when we performed (and recorded) the Further Definitions concerts in New York and Greenfield, but he wasn’t able to make the New Haven concert. But this won’t be Erik’s first concert in New Haven (that I know of) as he sang some of our music from our setting of “Yizkor” at an SCSU Holocaust event a few years ago.
BEKI ‘s address is 85 Harrison Street—it’s just off Whalley Avenue in New Haven. Here’s the important info: A light supper/dessert will be served. Tickets at the door are $18 for adults and $12 for seniors (65 and over) and students. For more information, please contact Darryl Kuperstock (kuperst@aol.com / 203-387-0304), Isaiah Cooper (icooper@cooperlaw.net / 203-233-4547), or the BEKI office (office@beki.org / 203-389-2108).
On Saturday, September 8, Will, Warren, and David are going to Temple Israel Center of White Plains to accompany Cantor Jack Mendelson and a choir made up of several members of the Western Wind for a Selichot service. If you’re in the Greater New York/Westchester area and you haven’t heard Cantor Mendelson daven, then you don’t know what it is like for you to be so taken into that hazzonos realm that it takes a good long while for you to realize that you’ve been standing so long your feet are starting to hurt. The service begins around 11 pm and goes till . . .? Temple Israel Center of White Plains is located at 280 Old Mamaroneck Road White Plains, New York.
The next day, on Sunday, September 9, the Afro-Semitic Experience is going to be performing at the Syracuse Jewish Festival, in Syracuse, New York. Actually we are not going to Syracuse, we are going to DeWitt, because that is where the JCC is located. We’re going to be the featured artists at the festival and in addition to our own music we’ll be also playing with the Syracuse Chapter of the Gospel Workshop of America. And, if that isn’t enough they want us to play some traditional Jewish Dance music so that they can compete to be in the Guinness Book of World Records for the worlds largest Hora!!! For more information about the Syracuse Jewish Festival please click here to visit their web site.

Some more pictures from our concert at the Greater Hartford Festival of Jazz. These are some good action shots from during the performance. Ignore the date in the corner. These were just taken this past July!! Will and David jamming. Full shot of the band And still another. David getting into it. And the band again! And last a photo of Will, David, and Alvin (where's Warren?--a little to the left)

Some more pictures from our concert at the Greater Hartford Festival of Jazz. These are some good action shots from during the performance. Ignore the date in the corner. These were just taken this past July!! Will and David jamming. Full shot of the band And still another. David getting into it. And the band again! And last a photo of Will, David, and Alvin (where's Warren?--a little to the left)

Some more pictures from our concert at the Greater Hartford Festival of Jazz. These are some good action shots from during the performance. Ignore the date in the corner. These were just taken this past July!! Will and David jamming. Full shot of the band And still another. David getting into it. And the band again! And last a photo of Will, David, and Alvin (where's Warren?--a little to the left)

The Afro-Semitic Experience had a great time playing at the Greater Hartford Festival of Jazz on July 22. We premiered pieces from our new work, "Jazz Souls on Fire", including arrangements of Pharoah Saunders' and Leon Thomas' "The Creator Has a Master Plan," and John Coltrane's "Wise One." Abu Alvin Carter took ill and could not be with us, but the legendary Connecticut percussionist Asher Delerme stepped up and did a great job of filling in at the last minute. Here are some photos from the concert. David mugs in front of the festival banner Warren warms up for the concert Saskia Laroo sets up for the show Stacy checks out his gear Saskia and Stacy jamming Asher and Alvin getting ready for the show