aka AMADEUS MELCHIZEDEK aka JOE ATON

GREAT CLASSIC LEGACY EXISTING FOREVER

 Joey "G-Clef" Cavaseno was trained under the strict tutelage of some of the last living masters of Jazz Music, such as Doc Cheatham, Illinois Jacquet, Panama Francis, and Arvell Shaw. He stayed in these bands for over a twelve year period, studying, performing, observing, and paying dues, so that one day, he too might lead a great band. While many of his peers scrambled to acquire record contracts before even having played professionally as a sideman for any length of time, he followed the great example of so many reedmen in the orchestra of his idol, Duke Ellington, and stayed as long as he could, soaking up the experience and learning the craft first-hand, in a time where such experiences were all but gone away. In all three of these bands, his talent blossomed and he was given heavy responsibilities oftentimes as a featured soloist, lead alto, straw boss, and musical co-director; often called upon to write musical arrangements. Jazz Music brought him to over thirty countries before reaching the age of thirty.

During the same time period, a revolution in music was happening all around G-Clef's New York, circa 1986-88: Hip-Hop. It was the dawning of a new age in this brazen Black artform, known as the new skool. The huge beats coming out of car systems were becoming more musical and at the same time revolutionary in tonality and timbre. G-Clef heard something in it that attracted his heart, and he followed it, humbling himself 100% to a new type of training: the unlearning of music as he had come to know it! G-Clef did the unthinkable for any accomplished jazz musician of his day, he achieved total submersion into the culture and artform that was Hip-Hop. He joined up with several rap crews in the Bronx area known as Gun Hill, where he trained and mastered all the musical elements of this ground-breaking revolution, experimenting with various drum machines, samplers, 4-track recorders, eventually rhyming as well. He sought to unite this new technology and sonority with his jazz training and eventually scored a deal on Tuff City Records in 1992 with what was beyond a doubt the first Jazz-Rap fusion group, Ghetto Philharmonic. A single was released in 1993, called "Don't Bite the Concept", in conjunction with a video, and was easily the first example of real jazz being played over Hip-Hop beats. This song, depsite its stark newness, did create a buzz within the music industry. Ghetto Philharmonic was invited to perform in the New Music Seminar, where many people in the industry got to hear G.P.'s fresh new approach to hip-hop. Jazz-Rap acts began being signed by all the majors that year and unfortunately,  Tuff City released the album very late, in 1994, severely damaging the timeliness of the innovative aspect of this music. Without proper promotion to compete with the majors, the Ghetto Philharmonic album, "Hip-Hop Bebop" while received well by critics, sold poorly. A  crew of talent had by now amassed around him and became known as the Soul Kids, some of whom were featured on the G.P. album.

G-Clef, now tied down to his Tuff city contract as an artist, began to produce music for other artists he knew as a possible alternative route to success.  But after disappointments reminiscent of many other Rap artists of the day, such as very limited budgets, little to no promotion, lack of artistic control, and missing royalty statements, he felt compelled to construct a plan to forever liberate himself and his peers from the trials of being a slave to the music industry. After shopping demo after demo of his artists, he had scored some near-misses, and even some development deals, but when the dust cleared, still no secure home for his artists.

After his experiences with Ghetto Philharmonic, he had no money, but had made some contacts in the form of other artists and producers he met on shows and various promotional events. He met the Genius/Gza while they were doing radio shows together to promote their respective releases. After seeing the G.P. video on Video Music Box in New York City, one of Gza Entertainment's management team called G-Clef, and asked if he needed representation. G-Clef directed their attention to his new project, the Soul Kid Klik, a group of all his artists together-as-one, as well as solo.  G-Clef became active as a part of the Gza Entertainment team of producers, and through him the Soul Kid Klik became associated with the Gza, and the Wu-Tang Movement of hip-hop. However Gza's efforts were mainly focused on video productions, and without being promoted by the Rza, (Wu-Tang's central figure and creator), the Klik soon felt very much on its own. In 1995, G-Clef formed Soul Kid Records and released a banging cipher cut Mortal Combat, an exploration of the "Deadly Video Game" chamber of lyricism. He produced this single, featuring himself, four other emcees, as well as DJ Spinbad from Ghetto Philharmonic. The single did well, and the the Klik had some success in the underground hip-hop scene, and despite finishing an album's worth of material, never really realized its fuller potential, due to various logistical, managerial, and internal issues. Soul Kid Records continued on, to put out about seven records, ranging from SKK singles to break beat LPs, but distributors eventually owed G-Clef so much uncollected funds, in 1998, the label went under.

Notably. all the while, and for a period of about twelve years, this musical Gemini led a true double life, nicknamed G-Clef da Mad Komposa in Hip-Hop, while still referred to as Joey "G-Clef" Cavaseno Cavaseno in Jazz. In 1998, several members of the Illinois Jacquet band, past and present, began jamming on their own to create a smaller group. Tapes were sent out, and the Yalloppin' Hounds were born. In 1998, the new band he formed was performing at the same series at Lincoln Center as was the Jacquet band, with himself at the Lead Alto chair, and it was then that he realized the time had come to break free. Doors swung open like mad for the Hounds, as it was the height of the modern swing craze and young people were rediscovering Swing culture. Gigs were abundant, and in no time, G-Clef found himself working six shows per week, with little or no time for his straight jazz or hip-hop careers. He was now a musical pioneer in a strange new idiom: Modern Swing. G-Clef knew what his contribution had to be, and he began, for the first time, combining his talents as a rap lyricist/producer and jazz composer/arranger, writing complete songs in a style he called "ghetto swing". He said, "The term Ghetto Swing in our mind refers to the rich history of African American folk music. Whether one calls the style swing, jazz, new jack swing, funk, hip-hop or rhythm and blues, if there is a 'swinging' feel to it, it can be Ghetto Swing."  The Yalloppin' Hounds achieved fame and success, riding the wave of a new movement, and a strong New York City following, and a series of limited "hit" songs like "Oops, My Bad", " Hot Dog", and "Thugbrat". People all over were now singing G-Clef's songs without the benefit of a major label or radio play. G-Clef brought forth a new independent label called Yalloppin Entertainment, and recorded and released five albums on CD with the Hounds, with participation on three movie soundtracks.

After the tragedy on September, 2001, the live music scene all but died in New York City, but G-Clef turned more and more towards developing his record company, Yalloppin Entertainment, finally re-releasing all his back catalog (Soul Kid Records) in CD format, as well as constantly producing and releasing new material/groups such as Rayzd (alt hip-hop pop), Lost Secret (hip-hop), and various break beat and jazz albums. To Date, G-Clef continues to develop his talent as well as the talent of others, and has attracted his own loyal online fanbase for anything he does. Slowly and surely people are realizing the high quality and integrity of his artistry in a day where true artistic honesty seems all but dead.

DISCOGRAPHY:

1987- w/ Doc Cheatham, Echoes of Harlem, Stash
1989- (late release), recorded '87- w/ Illinois Jacquet, Jacquet's Got It, Atlantic (Grammy nominee)
1989- w/ Arvell Shaw and the Armstrong Legacy, Live at NYU, Victoria
1992- w/ Ghetto Philharmonic, Don't Bite the Concept (single & video), Tuff City
1993- w/ Ghetto Philharmonic, Hip-Hop/Be-Bop (LP), Tuff City
1994- w/ Weldon "Master Wel" Irvine, When I Was a Sperm (single), Back Beat
1994- w/ Camille Gainer, G-Clef Meets the Funky Drummer, Vol.1 (LP), Tuff City
1994- w/ Camille Gainer, G-Clef Meets the Funky Drummer, Vol.2 (LP), Tuff City
1995- as Soul Kid Entertainment, P.O.W. (song on compilation LP), New Breed
1995- w/ Soul Kid Klik, Mortal Combat (single), Roach/Soul Kid
1996- w/ Rekanize, Hip-Hop/Don't Stop (single), Bedroom Beats/Solar
1996- G-Clef, G-Clef's Jazzy Breaks, vol. 1 (LP), Soul Kid
1997- w/ Goodfella Mike G, Strictly Dago (single), Soul Kid
1997- w/ Soul Kid Klik, Desperate Times/ Spark da Mic (single), Soul Kid Records
1999- w/ Dr. Ring Ding, My Sound, from Diggin Up Dirt, CD, Import, Grover 
2000- Yalloppin' Hounds, Ghetto Swing Extreme, Yalloppin
2001- Yalloppin' Hounds, New Yalloppin' City, Yalloppin
2002- Yalloppin' Hounds, Dirty, Raw and Swingin': Live at Lincoln Center, Yalloppin
2002- Yalloppin' Hounds, Lindy Hop Deluxe, Yalloppin
2002- w/Goodfella Mike G - Time To Make da Pasta
2002- G-Clef and da Houndz, Sampler, Yalloppin
2002- w/ The Blak ProphetZ 'With FX' / 'The Maddest Style' - 12 Inch Single, Fattjointz
2002- w/ Soul Kid Klik, Invisible Army, Yalloppin/Soulkid
2003- G-Clef, Journals from a Desert Planet, Yalloppin/Soulkid
2003- Yalloppin' Hounds, The Architect: play the music of Duke Ellington, Yalloppin
2003- Rayzd, Fear is the Mind Killer, Yalloppin/Soulkid
2003- w/ Panama Francis and the Savoy Sultans, Live Volume 1, Lost Secret
2003- w/ Panama Francis and the Savoy Sultans, Live Volume 2, Lost Secret
2003- w/ Panama Francis and the Savoy Sultans, Live Volume 3, Lost Secret
2004- w/Joey Lee aka Skinslaya - Never Too Late
2004- G-Clef da Mad Komposa - G-Clef's Drama Breaks, Vol 1
2004- Joey G-Clef Cavaseno & William Ash - Ballas for Joe and Bill
2004- w/ Infamous, Pressure EP
2004- Rayzd, Just Fade Away, Yalloppin/Soulkid
2004- G-Clef Jazz Trio, Tribute to Evanescence, Yalloppin/Soulkid
2004- Joey G-Clef Cavaseno & William Ash - Ballas for Joe and Bill, Yalloppin
2005- Ghetto Philharmonic - The Alternate Masters
2005 - G-Clef da Mad Komposa - Straight from the Crypt
2005 - Solomon Childs - Funeral Talk (The Eulogy) (produced 2 tracks)
2005 - Buddha Monk - Zu Chronicles, Vol. 2 (produced/performed) (Chambermusik)
2006 - G-Clef da Mad Komposa - Kompositionz, Volume 1
2006 - G-Clef da Mad Komposa - Kompositionz, Volume 2
2006 - Harlem 6 - The Lost Files (produced 1 track) (Chambermusik)
2006 - Solomon Childs - Learn My Name (produced/performed) (Chambermusik)


PRESS and BOOKS:

1985- review of performance, NY Times
1985- review of performance, NY Post
1985- Downbeat Magazine, Upcoming Talent feature, Mary Snyder Vance
1999- The Biographical Encyclopedia of Jazz, by Leonard Feather & Ira Gitler
2001- Atomic Magazine- story on Yalloppin' Hounds
2001- The Swing Book by Degen Penner (Yalloppin' Hounds)
2004- Lewis Porter's Jazz Encyclopedia




TO CONTACT G-CLEF:
office - (718) 470-0013

G-Clef, c/o Yalloppin Entertainment
750 Maple Place, West Hempstead, NY 11552

email: gclef@soulkid.net

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