York University’s YFile Article
Posted Nov 30, 2006

Steve Koven Trio International Cultural Ambassadors - Representing Canada & York University Abroad

TORONTO, November 9, 2005:  The Steve Koven Trio will be representing both Canada and York University at international cultural events this week. They will give a series of performances and a public presentation in Trinidad and Barbados, upon invitation of the Canadian High Commissions in both countries.
The Steve Koven Trio is led by pianist Steve Koven, with Anthony Michelli on drums and Rob Clutton on bass. Both Koven and Michelli teach in the jazz program at York University. 

The Trio will open the San Fernando Jazz Festival in Port of Spain, Trinidad, on November 11.  While there, they will also give a private concert for the Canadian High Commissioner to Trinidad and visiting dignitaries.

Left to right: Anthony Michelli, Rob Clutton, Steve Koven

The San Fernando Jazz Festival features both international and local jazz talent. Along with Koven and his band, this year’s event includes Bombay’s Rakesh Chaurasia, legendary steelpan arranger, composer and player Dr. Jit Samaroo and steelpan virtuoso Liam Teague, New York-based saxophonist Gerald Rampersad, and Louisiana accordionist and singer Buckwheat Zydeco.

Koven, who celebrates his birthday on November 11, said: “I’m looking forward to a great birthday party debut, and to giving patrons a style of music that makes listening a pleasure.”

Well-known on the Caribbean festival circuit, the Steve Koven Trio has previously appeared at the jazz festivals of Barbados, Jamaica and Nassau, Bahamas, sharing the stage with such artists as Nancy Wilson, John Pizzarelli, T.S. Monk and John Williams to critical acclaim. Al Peabody of the Barbados Press hailed Koven as “….a great young Canadian talent.... Steve was the kid who stole the show. This group lit the place up…it was a memorable, remarkable performance.”

The Trio is returning to Barbados on November 13 to participate in the National Cultural Festival, where they have been invited to conduct a masterclass and perform for young music students. They are also bringing a gift: big band charts from York University’s Jazz Orchestra, directed by Al Henderson.

The charts, a resource tool to help young jazz artists improve their solo and ensemble playing, will be donated to the National Cultural Foundation of Barbados at a presentation hosted by Michael Welsh, the Canadian High Commissioner to Barbados.

“We’re very proud to represent Canada and York University at global cultural events,” said Koven, who helped inaugurate Canada Month on Barbados with a solo concert last June.  “Many people in the Caribbean are curious about jazz and things Canadian. These performances give us a chance to inspire new and eager audiences for jazz, while introducing them to Canadian musicianship.”

Based in Toronto, the Steve Koven Trio has been performing nationally and internationally since 1993. Their touring schedule has taken them to major Canadian jazz festivals, including Winnipeg, Montreal, Ottawa and Toronto, as well as to Mexico, Tokyo and London, England. Their discography includes their most recent CD, All the Time in the World, as well as Lifetime (2002), Not by the Elbows (2002), Sandbox (1999) and Steve Koven Trio Live (1997).

Individually, each member of the Steve Koven Trio is an accomplished instrumentalist:

An alumnus of York University’s Music Department, Koven is a versatile jazz pianist, composer and educator. In addition to performing with his trio, he enjoys an active solo career, appearing throughout Canada, the US, the Caribbean and Europe. He has composed for film and television and has been teaching for 18 years. Currently, he teaches improvisation and jazz piano at York.

An international performer and recording artist, Michelli has toured extensively in Japan, the United Kingdom and Mexico and has worked with many distinguished musicians including Ranee Lee, Oliver Jones, Ed Bickert, Don Thompson, Joe Sealy and Mike Murley. He teaches jazz drumming and rhythm studies at York.

The classically-trained Clutton has worked as a sideman with Moment, NOJO, Jazzstory, the Ryan Driver Quartet and others, and is engaged in collaborative projects with musicians such as David Mott, Nick Fraser, Doug Tielli and Eric Chenaux. Festival performances have taken him across North America, Great Britain, Italy and Caribbean. He has released three CDs featuring his own band and compositions.

Click here for more information about the Steve Koven Trio.

Media Contact: Mary-Lou Schagena, Communications, Faculty of Fine Arts, York University
416-736-2100, ext. 20421 / schagena@yorku.ca


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