Music can create friendships, deepen bonds, and help people find their path in life. Such is the story of two talented Clef Club Music Education alumnus who are friends and musical collaborators.
Trumpeter Alonzo Demetrius and saxophonist Yesseh Furaha-Ali, both 24, have a lot in common. They play horns, attended Berklee Music School, and trained at PCC under the guidance of jazz education director Lovett Hines.
Hines has always stressed the value of music education, mentorship, and friendship. The Clef Club supplemented the young musicians’ high school music education with exposure to seasoned players from the local scene. Through its youth jazz ensembles, it provided them bandstand experience.
It is evident in the career paths of Demetrius and Furaha-Ali that they took Hines’ message to heart. After training at Clef Club’s Jazz Education Program, both were awarded the prestigious Berklee College of Music Presidential Scholarship, a four-year scholarship covering the cost of tuition, on-campus housing, and the required laptop.
“It’s a good bridging of the gap between the generations, just the camaraderie between the old and the young. It’s communicative between everybody, and very open, like a safe haven. It’s like family; I can go there anytime I want to practice, or I can go there and just talk to whoever’s there. That’s one of the important things about the Clef Club: Once you walk into the building, you know you’re going to be safe.”
Likewise, Demetrius considers PCC an important tool in his music education. “I had no private teachers or private instruction. I was doing band and orchestra and everything at school, but actually learning jazz itself, I was really just kind of self-taught. Going to the Clef Club and having teachers and ensembles, and honestly having other people in my age group that was just so much better than me helped me grow. It has this ability to pull together young, really talented musicians.”
Clef Club alum includes jazz notables like bassist Christian McBride; organist Joey DeFrancesco; pianist Jordan Williams; drummers Nazir Ebo and Justin Faulkner; and saxophonists Jaleel Shaw and Immanuel Wilkins.
The young horn men continue to share their musical adventures. Demetrius and his working band The Ego are set out to release their debut album Live From The Prison Nation with Onyx Productions on October 16, 2020. Furaha-Ali will be joining Demetrius on this socially conscious recording along with pianist Daniel Abraham Jr., bassist Benjamin Jephta, and drummer Brian Richburg Jr.