By Vince 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.

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