When Alan Chaubert was growing up in his native Switzerland, he thought it was only natural as a trumpeter to study and learn classical music. He graduated from the Geneva Conservatory School with honors and went on to study at the prestigious College of Music in Boston.
“Don’t get me wrong, I love classical music, but after a while, I found it to be so boring playing it,” said Chaubert, who has been a resident of North Bergen for the last six months. “There are too many restraints on playing classical music with a trumpet. Playing in an orchestra, I couldn’t do what I wanted to do. If it was this boring, I’d rather be a banker all day, sitting behind a desk, than playing classical all the time.”
It was jazz that fueled his soul.
“Now, that’s living life on the edge,” Chaubert said.
Chaubert learned that playing jazz enabled him to expand his horizons, so much so that he could play the two musical instruments he loves, namely the trumpet and the piano, simultaneously.
“I’ve been experimenting with playing both for the last four years,” Chaubert said. “At first, it was a little awkward, because you can’t do the same things you normally do. The trumpet is one of only a few instruments you can play with one hand. So I played the trumpet first and the piano just sort of popped up and followed along. After a while, it just came naturally and became a lot of fun. You can do a lot of things, but you just don’t have a lot of freedom to do them.”
Chaubert, who runs a music school in Cliffside Park, was introduced to David Kronick, the former state assemblyman, who has produced a variety of different cultural arts programs at the Temple Beth-El in North Bergen in an attempt to bring more culture and awareness to the community.
“I was introduced to Alan through a mutual friend, Annette Ricci, and Alan ended up becoming a good friend of mine,” said Kronick, who produced an Irving Berlin songbook concert, a Flamenco concert and “Music without Borders,” featuring two Russian singers, over the past two years at the Temple. “After I met Alan, he told me what he could do and I thought that a jazz concert would be exciting and interesting. We hadn’t had jazz here yet.”
So with the help of Chaubert’s diverse talents, as well as vocalist Patty Grant and bass player Bryce Sebastian, the Temple Beth-El, located on 75th and Hudson Streets, will be the site for “The Ella Fitzgerald Songbook,” a compilation of the works of the late legendary jazz performer, at the Temple Beth El today (Sunday, April 18) at 3 p.m.
‘All of Me’
Chaubert, Grant and Sebastian will perform such memorable hits as “All of Me,” “The Girl from Ipanema,” “I’ve Got You Under My Skin,” “Misty,” “What A Difference A Day Makes,” and “Our Love Is Here To Stay,” among others.
“Ella Fitzgerald is the ultimate jazz singer and the greatest in the field of scat that we’ve ever seen,” Chaubert said. “No one else could do it like her. She was wonderful. But I’ve worked with Patty before and she’s wonderful. Ella Fitzgerald is one of her favorite singers and Patty has the same kind of voice.”
Chaubert and Grant perform every Saturday night at a jazz club/restaurant called “Blu” in Orangeburg, N.Y.
“We’re very familiar with each other,” Chaubert said. “There’s no need for much rehearsal. It’s always so easy to play with Patty, because our personalities are so much alike. You always need to feel comfortable with each other.”
Chaubert is also a composer and arranger who has organized four European gospel tours and served as an accompanist and music director on four CDs for vocalist Yvonne Taylor. He was also selected as one of the finalists in the recent competition hosted by CD 101.9-FM Smooth Jazz in New York.
“We really have an international trio playing here,” Kronick said. “Alan’s from Switzerland, Bryce is from the Virgin Islands and Patty is from the United States. For me, this is just another chance to bring another piece of culture to the community, so people don’t have to travel to New York and pay New York prices to get to see talent like this. We’re trying to raise the level of interest by bringing the scene right here. It’s not just for Jewish people. We had a facility here that was being underutilized and I wanted to do something for the whole community.”
Kronick has also organized a book lecture series at the Temple, as well as yoga classes.
But for this day, it’s about the sounds of Ella Fitzgerald, featuring a talented resident who gives multi-tasking a new meaning.
“It’s exciting for me,” Chaubert said. “It’s all part of new exposure for me. It’s a different concert setting, a different style. I love this chance. I’m just going to go out there and try to have fun, more than anything. Anytime you play, it’s a challenge, but in this case, it should be fun. In music, the key is the moment. I’ll accept the moment.”
Tickets for “The Ella Fitzgerald Songbook,” are $12 and $10 for senior citizens at the door and $10 and $8 for seniors in advance. For more information, contact the Temple Beth-El at (201) 869-9149.
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