On May 31, the construction site at the Lyceum Space at Horton Plaza made for a jazzy labyrinth for almost one hundred people eager to listen to a very original show researched and written by legendary music ethnologist Yale Strom. The Mira Mesa College Jazz Collective, directed by Steve Torok, performed the “Chaldean Jazz Suite” composed by Strom, who based his music on researches of the San Diego’s southern Iraqi refugees, more specifically the Chaldean community.
On May 31, the construction site at the Lyceum Space at Horton Plaza made for a jazzy labyrinth for almost one hundred people eager to listen to a very original show researched and written by legendary music ethnologist Yale Strom. The Mira Mesa College Jazz Collective, directed by Steve Torok, performed the “Chaldean Jazz Suite” composed by Strom, who based his music on researches of the San Diego’s southern Iraqi refugees, more specifically the Chaldean community.
The Creative Catalyst Program funded Strom’s research and music composition, a project led by the San Diego Foundation. Storm’s ethnological and musical incursion is meant to dig deeper into the collective memory of the Chaldean community living in El Cajon.
Decades of research around the world convinced Strom that folk music is a significant component of human culture, therefore there is a cross-cultural bridge waiting to be explored in his efforts to bring people together through music. He also integrates other musical genres and combines them not only with Chaldean folk and church music, but also with improvisation to create a new world of sounds and themes to convey an universal message of unity. Strom is a professor in the Jewish Studies Program at SDSU and artist in-residence.
The audience reacted warmly to the very original musical tonalities of Chaldean Jazz, combining rhythms of Middle East folk music with classical tones, reminiscing of old folk themes played at the churches, wedding ceremonies and other life events traditional to the Middle Eastern Chaldeans. As a main feature of the Chaldean folk music, the percussion is heavily showcased in Strom’s compositions, giving it an edgy sound.
Legendary Steve Torok who directed the MiraCosta Jazz Collective has performed before with Usher, Stevie Wonder, Barry Manilow, The Temptations, Dan Siegel, Bob Florence, among many other incredible artists. Torok is also a composer and soloist and his newest recording, “Eye to Eye,” co-produced by Dan Siegel, has been released last year. He was featured on two contemporary jazz CDs: “Point of View” (1998) and “This is Gospel: Inspirational Jazz” (2001). Torok teaches music and composition at the MiraCosta College in Oceanside as a professor and chairman of the department. He directs the MiraCosta Jazz Collective and also MiraCosta Oceanside Jazz Orchestra (MOJO).
The band, MiraCosta Jazz Collective, is well known for the modern and classic jazz performances where the members also compose and play original music to showcase. The edgy group’s members are klezmer violinist Yale Strom, funk legend Fred Wesley, saxophonists Tom Scott and Ernie Watts, trumpeter Harry Kim and bassist Brian Bromberg.
Once again, Strom’s Chaldean Jazz Suite proved that music is a universal language that can bridge cultural differences and bring people together into an understanding that can lead to a more unified and peaceful world.
