Tribute to Evanescence

G-Clef Jazz Trio

Product Details

• Audio CD (September 28, 2004)
• Original Release Date: September 28, 2004
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Yalloppin/Soulkid
• ASIN: B00065AX7O
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #603,485 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Editorial Reviews

About the Artist

Joey "G-Clef" Cavaseno was trained under the strict tutelage of some of the last living masters of Jazz Music, such as Doc Cheatham, Illinois Jacquet, Panama Francis, and Arvell Shaw. He stayed in these bands for over a twelve year period, studying, performing, observing, and paying dues, so that one day, he too might lead a great band. While many of his peers scrambled to acquire record contracts before even having played professionally as a sideman for any length of time, he followed the great example of so many reedmen in the orchestra of his idol, Duke Ellington, and stayed as long as he could, soaking up the experience and learning the craft first-hand, in a time where such experiences were all but gone away. In all three of these bands, his talent blossomed and he was given heavy responsibilities oftentimes as a featured soloist, lead alto, straw boss, and musical co-director; often called upon to write musical arrangements. Jazz Music brought him to over thirty countries before reaching the age of thirty.

During the same time period, a revolution in music was happening all around G-Clef's New York, circa 1986-88: Hip-Hop. It was the dawning of a new age in this brazen Black artform, known as the new skool. The huge beats coming out of car systems were becoming more musical and at the same time revolutionary in tonality and timbre. G-Clef heard something in it that attracted his heart, and he followed it, humbling himself 100% to a new type of training: the unlearning of music as he had come to know it! G-Clef did the unthinkable for any accomplished jazz musician of his day, he achieved total submersion into the culture and artform that was Hip-Hop. He joined up with several rap crews in the Bronx area known as Gun Hill, where he trained and mastered all the musical elements of this ground-breaking revolution, experimenting with various drum machines, samplers, 4-track recorders, eventually rhyming as well. He sought to unite this new technology and sonority with his jazz training and eventually scored a deal on Tuff City Records in 1992 with what was beyond a doubt the first Jazz-Rap fusion group, Ghetto Philharmonic. A single was released in 1993, called "Don't Bite the Concept", in conjunction with a video, and was easily the first example of real jazz being played over Hip-Hop beats. This song, depsite its stark newness, did create a buzz within the music industry. Ghetto Philharmonic was invited to perform in the New Music Seminar, where many people in the industry got to hear G.P.'s fresh new approach to hip-hop. Jazz-Rap acts began being signed by all the majors that year and unfortunately, Tuff City released the album very late, in 1994, severely damaging the timeliness of the innovative aspect of this music. Without proper promotion to compete with the majors, the Ghetto Philharmonic album, "Hip-Hop Bebop" while received well by critics, sold poorly. A crew of talent had by now amassed around him and became known as the Soul Kids, some of whom were featured on the G.P. album.

G-Clef, now tied down to his Tuff city contract as an artist, began to produce music for other artists he knew as a possible alternative route to success. But after disappointments reminiscent of many other Rap artists of the day, such as very limited budgets, little to no promotion, lack of artistic control, and missing royalty statements, he felt compelled to construct a plan to forever liberate himself and his peers from the trials of being a slave to the music industry. After shopping demo after demo of his artists, he had scored some near-misses, and even some development deals, but when the dust cleared, still no secure home for his artists.

After his experiences with Ghetto Philharmonic, he had no money, but had made some contacts in the form of other artists and producers he met on shows and various promotional events. He met the Genius/Gza while they were doing radio shows together to promote their respective releas

Product Description

Reknowned alto saxophonist Joey "G-Clef" Cavaseno puts "wood to metal" in this extremely unique journey through the music of the Pop/Rock band Evanescence here fully transformed into an intimate acoustic setting. G-Clef plays Amy Lee's soaring vocal melodies, backed by the sonoric tapestries of jazz legends guitarist William Ash (Tribute to Wes Montgomery) and acoustic bassist Peter Hartmann (Yalloppin' Hounds).

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars From a jazz musician's perspective, August 11, 2005

By	J. Barriere "Musically Inclined" (Los Angeles, CA, USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I'm a jazz musician as well as the manager for a female-fronted rock band in Los Angeles. I can understand the direction G-Clef took with this project. Many bands will take material from another genre and adapt it to theirs, a la The Section Quartet, Me First and the Gimmie Gimmies, etc. I've never quite heard a rock album adapted to jazz and I can appreciate what G-Clef has done. It's not easy! I actually enjoy listening to the tracks on this album and as a saxophonist, I can very much appreciate the playing on this album as being excellent. The musicianship is great, although I believe the production is lacking just a bit. Overall, I think music geeks (like myself) and the general public would be able to find something they like about this album.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Highly Creative Tribute Indeed!, March 28, 2006

By	Herman Toth "Herman Toth" (New Jersey, USA) - See all my reviews

I heard this from Itunes and then i bought it from amazon and I have to say it's brilliant work, and always soothes my mood when I put this on. G-clef is apparently a well-respected sax player and it shows. This album was not at all a parody, but a very well executed attempt to play the music of an entirely over produced rock/pop band by only three acoustic instruments, and whats more it sounds awesome! G-Clef's sax playing sounds much like a voice as he soars through the melodies.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Musical tastes differ but this is great interpretive jazz, January 21, 2007

By	R. Shipley - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

If you are a lover of both jazz and Evanescence, then I bet you will find these solid jazz interpretations right up your tin-pan alley. The work here is done, for the most part, by a highly competent jazz trio and they rework these songs with alot of passion, They seem to have a keen understanding of what made the songs good in the first place. Some of the results are quite stunning and sometimes even beautiful; others fall flat or, at best, seem a bit contrived in origin. Overall though I give this compilation 5 stars. I really like the stripped down, pedal-to-the-metal sax, bass and guitar interludes that make up most of the production. I keep playing this album over and over. G-Cleff hooked me because they rock in a jazzy and very hip way;)