The Gilded Serpent
presents...
My Daughter,
Devi-ja Delgado
Here's the
spiel about Devi-ja: She had ovarian cancer. Her prognosis
is real good. Her final and sixth chemo treatment will be on the
14th of September, 2001, so we will be celebrating that event,
plus trying to raise some money so that she can cool out a couple
of months before she has to go to work.
The following
is some background on who Devi is:
At the age of six, I sent her to study Japanese
classical music on an instrument called the Koto. She did that for five years.
At the age of 10, she started to play the Viola in school. At the same time,
she started to go to the Ali Akbar College of Classical Indian Music and
learned under the tutelage of Ali Akbar Khan and V. G. Jog. She
went to Seattle for a short time and studied with a Romanian violinist. We
started the group "Jazayer", and she began to learn Middle
Eastern music and as a group we have been together for over twenty five years,
(though our emphasis is mostly on the classical repertoire of Turkish and Arabic
music these days). She also studied Arabic music with Dr. Jihad Racy.
Recently she acquired two BA's at Sonoma State, one in Biology and one in Mexican-American
Studies, plus a teaching credential in bi-lingual biology for which she had
to learn Spanish. Currently she is a math teacher at Napa High and teaches
Afro-Brazilian dance classes in Santa Rosa.
PRESS
RELEASE
WHAT:
Concert: "A Benefit for Devi-ja"
WHY?
Violinist Devi-ja Delgado Croll, daughter of Vince Delgado and
member of the 25-year old music ensemble Jazayer, was recently stricken
with ovarian cancer and underwent surgery, chemotherapy, etc.; proceeds of
this concert will help her and her family.
WHO:
Performers will include: Ali Jihad Racy, Zakir Hussain, Vince Delgado, Mimi
Spencer, Shirley Muramoto, Matt Eakle, Dahlena, Carnaval Spirit and others.
WHEN:
Sunday, September 16 at 4:00 p.m.
WHERE:
St. John's Presbyterian Church, 2727 College Avenue, Berkeley
Donation:
$20
CONTACT:
Vince Delgado, 415-457-8427, vince@vincedelgado.com or
Near Eastern Music West, 510-236-5150, mimikanun@aol.com
MORE DETAILS:
Dr. Ali Jihad Racy is one of the premier Middle Eastern musicians in the
United States today. A professor of ethnomusicology at UCLA with a speciality
in Middle Eastern studies, he has made numerous recordings, performing both
classical traditional Arabic and fusion-style genres. Recently he returned
from Lebanon where he performed with the Kronos quartet (for whom he
has composed original works) at the Beiteddine Festival.
Other recent credits
include the Newport Jazz Festival, with noted oudist & violinist Simon
Shaheen. Dr. Racy is a soulful master of the nay (Arabic cane
flute) and a virtuoso on the Lebanese buzuk and other folkloric instruments. Zakir
Hussain, international star of percussion, especially the North
Indian classical tabla, has performed during the last 30 years with
all of the finest classical musicians of India, including Ali
Akbar Khan, Ravi Shankar and many more. In other areas, he has
played with many well known jazz and fusion musicians including John
McLaughlin, Mickey Hart and others too numerous to mention. He
appears on countless recordings with these musicians as well. He
founded the groups Diga, and Zakir Hussain and the Rhythm
Experience and now appears with Tabla Beat Science among
others. Vince Delgado, father of Devi-ja, is also a very well-known
percussionist and composer. He's the founder of the Jazayer ensemble,
together with Devi and qanunist Mimi Spencer, and has
made numerous recordings with this group as well as others. He was
a soloist with The Rhythm Experience and performs with The Murasaki
Ensemble. Shirley Muramoto plays classical and jazz koto,
the Japanese long zither. She founded The Murasaki Ensemble who have
appeared at Yoshi's and have a CD entitled Magenta.
She'll perform with: Matt Eakle is a virtuoso flautist who
also tours with David Grisman.
The various ensembles
will be rounded out by Middle Eastern performers Coralie Russo,
oud, Laura Harada, violin, Saed Muhssin, oud, and the
woman herself, Devi-ja Delgado Croll, violin.
Ready
for more?
8-1-01 I Walk In
Pain And Beauty by Lucy Lipschitz
I also walk with
the Hope that other dancers will read this and know that they don't
balance
on this double-edged sword alone.
7-31-01 Salah
Takesh Interviewed by
Janine Ryle
For years,
he was involved in the San Francisco North Beach scene during the eighties
as a drummer while
his brother, Jalaleddin Takesh was a kanoonist and restaurant owner.
We asked him to recall some of his experiences for our North
Beach Memories series.
7-30-01 RECREATING
RITUAL Enhancing our daily lives with drumming and dancing, by
Tahya
The rhythmic
patterns and dance movements of this tradition, steeped in antiquity,
steeped in women's ancestry, rekindle a natural and sacred state of
well being. |