Press Packet - Chévere de Chicago

Chévere
de Chicago
What is Chévere?
Chévere is Chicago's leading Latin/Jazz/Funk/Blues
Band, mixing Afro-Cuban, Brazilian, Jazz, Blues, and just
about everything else together into an exciting and unique
collage of sound. Characterized by high voltage
percussion and compelling original compositions, Chévere has performed in and around Chicago and the
Midwest for 30 years.
The band has played many large outdoor festivals,
including several appearances at The Chicago Jazz
Festival and Summerfest. The core of the band has
stayed together for over 0 years, giving the band an
almost telepathic ability to interact spontaneously
onstage. The band has an impressive array of virtuosic
melodic soloists, and the percussion section, deeply rooted in traditional folklore and religious music from Cuba,
the Caribbean, and Brazil, is heavily featured on
almost every tune.
Booking & Management
Alfred D. Ticoalu
v: 847.903.7440
alfred@cheveredechicago.com
www.cheveredechicago.com
Chévere
de Chicago
Ernie Denov
Alejo Poveda
Drums, percussion & leader
Founder and leader of the band, Alejo is
from Costa Rica. He toured extensively in
South and Central America before moving
to Chicago in the 1970s. He founded Chévere as a percussion ensemble in 1977.
Howard Levy
Piano, harmonica, mandolin & music
director
Howard joined Chévere in 1979. He is most
well known for his work with Bela Fleck and
The Flecktones, Kenny Loggins, Paquito
D'Rivera, Trio Globo, etc. Howard, a Grammy Award Winner and 2-time
Nominee, has had a life long passion for
Afro-Cuban and Brazilian music.
Ruben Alvarez
Timbales, percussion, drums & vocal
In addition to his electrifying playing, Ruben
is also a noted Latin Music educator who
has traveled to Cuba many times to deepen
his knowledge of Afro-Cuban music and
culture. He currently has a band with
Chuchito Valdes, son of the great Cuban
pianist Chucho Valdes. He is also a bandleader and has toured with many top artists.
Chris "Chicago Hambone" Cameron
Hammond B-3 Organ, Fender Rhodes,
Moog & keyboards
Chris, one of Chicago's leading studio
keyboard players, brings his mastery of the
electric keyboards, great sense of humor,
and a dynamic, bluesy solo style to the mix
of Chévere. Chris also produces and records with Sonia Dada.
Guitar
Ernie composes some of Chévere's best
loved tunes. He has been one of Chicago's
top guitarists for many years, performing
with many Chicago groups and leading his
own bands as well. Currently, Ernie is also
a member Lt. Dan Band, along with Gary
Sinise and Kimo Williams.
Steve Eisen
Saxes, flute, & percussion
Steve, an original member of Chévere, is
one of the leading sax players in the midwest. For years he has played and recorded
with many of the music industry's top artists,
such as Ramsey Lewis, The Commodores,
Styx, Chuck Mangione and many others.
Eric Hochberg
Bass & vocal
One of Chicago's most in demand
musicians, Eric has toured internationally
with the Lyle Mays Quartet, the Terry Callier
Group, Ken Nordine's Word Jazz, the Kurt
Elling Quartet, and the Paul Wertico Trio,
among others. He is also a bandleader,
producer, singer, trumpeter, and composer.
Mark Ohlsen
Trumpet & flugelhorn
In addtion to his charismatic lead trumpet
playing, Mark is also a skilled recording
engineer and arranger. A veteran of many
jazz big bands, he also has played the
Blues and Funk circuit, touring with Big
Twist and The Mellow Fellows, The Chicago
Catz, and others.
Joe Rendon
Congas, percussion & vocal
The leading congero in Chicago, Joe brings
his deep knowledge of traditional
Afro-Cuban percussion and chants as well
as his virtuosity and ability to adapt the congas to any style of music. Joe has performed with Paquito D'Rivera, Andy
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Two of Chévere’s earliest
program booklets.
Chévere
de Chicago
The biggest Chicago jazz story of the year so far is the release of the first CD by the
Latin-jazz-fusion nonet Chévere-an event a quarter century in the making. Costa
Rican drummer Alejo Poveda, a veteran of a dozen or more local jazz bands, formed
Chévere here in the late 70s as a small percussion ensemble; even today his occasional interludes with ace percussionists Ruben Alvarez and Joe Rendon are the
high points of Chévere's sets. The band quickly acquired a full instrumental armamentarium and a cadre of the city's finest jazz sharpshooters, including reedman
Steve Eisen, bassist Eric Hochberg, and piano and harmonica wizard Howard Levy.
Mark Ohlsen's trumpet, along with Chris Cameron's electric keyboards, help Chévere wallpaper the room with big ensemble textures, and Ernie Denov's slash-andburn guitar playing connects the band as much to Carlos Santana as to Mongo Santamaria and Tito Puente. The group began recording its debut CD in 1995, but it
took years of coordinating busy schedules to finish the album; this weekend's gigs
celebrate the release of Secret Dream on Levy's label, Balkan Samba. And despite
its protracted, piecemeal gestation, the disc comes pretty close to capturing the
charismatic energy Chévere brings to the stage.
Secret Dream
Released in 2005
Neil Tesser
Chicago Reader, Critics Choice
The Playboy Guide to Jazz, Author
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Chevere
Story and Photos by Brad Walseth (jazzchicago.net)
Words fail one when attempting to describe the amazing phenomenon that
is a "Chevere" concert. Like the return of a comet, the gathering together of
the incredibly talented musicians that form "Chevere de Chicago" is a rare
and highly anticipated event. Saturday night at the Green Mill Lounge saw
these old compatriots back together and playing as if they were never apart.
The band's fiery, joyous, energy-filled playing combined the technical precision of the concert hall with the loose, relaxed feel of a neighborhood jam
session, and the musicians seemed to be enjoying themselves as much as
the audience.
Mixing a Latin feel with jazz, rock, and blues - Chevere utterly deconstructs
the Latin genre and molds it into something entirely new and exciting something that draws on the talents of the individual contributors to create a
fascinating whole. Despite the prodigious skills of each player, it is a tribute
to the sensitivity and respect for one another by the group members, in that
no one musician dominates. All are given equal space to add their own element and there is no egotistical overplaying. Many of the songs played,
such as "El Cojo," "Maria Cristina," and Herbie Hancock's "Dolphin Dance"
were from their CD "Secret Dream" and many were written by members of
the group. Throughout the songs there exists a tangible joy of life and music
that the band members must share.
The component members of this great ensemble are true masters of their
own craft. Powerhouse drummer Alejo Poveda plays with controlled mayhem. His sense of timing is impeccable and he can unleash the beast when
called upon. Conga titan Joe Rendon is strength and joyful exuberance personified, while guest artist Jean Leroy on the timbales and assorted percussion showed his talent and precision. Nor were they alone in creating an addictive rhythmic atmosphere, as everyone was willing to pick up a cowbell
or shaker when they weren't playing their main instrument.
The Chevere horn section is ably handled by the multi-talented and sweettoned Steve Eisen on saxes and flute, and the energetic and imaginative
Mark Ohlsen on trumpet and flugelhorn. One can hardly imagine a duo that
Chévere
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work better together, as the two compliment each other so well -combining
to give the impression of a much larger horn section between them. Both
players are capable of being supportive, or burning it up as a soloist, but it
is clear that they take harmony quite seriously and respect the music by
never taking their riffing to excess.
Ernie Denov is one of the most respected guitarists in Chicago, and his
tasteful solos are a study in how to play Music with a capital "M" on the guitar. He is one of the most "listenable" guitar players I've heard in recent
memory. Meanwhile, Eric Hochberg's 5-string bass work was superb as always. The talented Mr. Hochberg also showed his vocal chops - singing the
blues with gusto on "Telegram of Love," and providing admirable low-end
support throughout. But it was his solo "duel" with keyboardist Chris
"Hambone" Cameron (on Mini-Moog) that left one gasping at the breadth of
his abilities. The aforementioned "Hambone" was a whirligig on Hammond
B-3 and a multitude of vintage synths and keyboards. The array of sounds
this creative musician devised added a surprisingly wicked and contemporary element to the overall sound.
Perhaps the most well known musician in the band is harmonica-master
and pianist, Howard Levy; but Levy was quite content to play as an equal
team-member. Known as perhaps the finest harmonica player in the world,
the artist spent most of his time at the piano - where his smiling countenance could be seen enjoying the efforts of his bandmates. The humble musician did rip it up a couple times on his mouth harp, but he also shone quite
brightly on the keyboard - where his romantic and lucid lines astonished
with their clarity.
The music of Chevere seems to exist in a world of the combined musicians'
own making - combustive rhythmically, melodically interwoven with shimmering harmonies, and fitted with layers of interesting and integral pieces
that interlock and work together to complete the whole. To describe the music simply as Latin Jazz does it a disservice because the description is so
incomplete. To best understand is to encounter the music yourself - either
by picking up a copy of "Secret Dream," or taking in a live show at a venue
like the Green Mill when the opportunity arises.
Chévere
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Photos by
Brad Walseth
(jazzchicago.net)