In a world where superlatives are used to exaggerate and overinflate the description and value of everything, simplicity can be very refreshing. So let's put all the hyperbole aside when talking about Todd Chowan. The bare facts are that he was born in International Falls, Minnesota, that he studied vocal music at the University of Minnesota, that he loves jazz but hates broccoli, and that he has taught thousands of students in a career spanning nearly two decades. For the last 13 years, to be more specific, he has been teaching in a French Immersion program in the Twin Cities' suburb of Edina. He says he loves teaching and saw a great chance to blend that career with his love of music. Having incorporated music into his daily classroom activities throughout his teaching tenure, he finally succumbed to pressure from students, parents, colleagues, and his own two daughters Madeleine and Caitlin, to embark on a career as a jazz vocalist.
Not that he has been mute for all these years-quite to the contrary, he has performed in many venues, including France and West Africa (where he taught in Burkina Faso for two years). He has an email list with over a thousand names of people who want to be notified of when he will be performing and where. He gets phone calls asking if he is really "that Todd Chowan," and even gets fanmail on a regular basis. He is one of those rare performers who has achieved a fair amount of notoriety-and a following-with little effort whatsoever on his part. Why? It's that voice....that phrasing....that particular style....You just have to listen for a few minutes to risk being seriously hooked.
When describing his voice and phrasing, again, simplicity is best. Listening to Todd is a lot like settling down to a candlelight dinner in which the company is mellow and every course is delectable. It's a sound that is so very nice to come home to. Polished, interesting, original, and definitely not trite. All of which perfectly describes his interpretations of the jazz standards. Each one has a flavor that, no matter how many times you've heard it, you're going to enjoy.
Todd was influenced by the work of Mel Torme, Tony Bennett, Al Jarreau and Bobby Caldwell, although none of those will come immediately to mind when you hear him. "Influenced doesn't mean 'aspired to be'," says Todd. "I grew up listening to these superstars and admired what they gave to their audiences. I think a lot of what you give is a product of who you are as a person and where you have been." So, as a teacher, he's mastered the art of keeping every message straightforward and he incorporates that philosophy into his music. No mysteries, no unresolved chords, no experimentalism, just jazz that is satisfying sometimes to the point of addictive. He enunciates, he flows, he encircles, he caresses, and the result is that each song is luxurious.
Todd is also an accomplished jazz pianist and composer, with more than 30 songs to his writing credit. He comes from a long line of non-musicians, so his passion for music from the time he was five years old was a great mystery and surprise to his family. They recognized his great talent and encouraged it, even though as his mother puts it, "we never really understood where this interest, especially in jazz, came from."
French has also been a big part of Todd's life (he has a Masters in French and education) and that fits well with his interest in jazz. "The kind of interest I have gotten from people in France every time I'm over there has been has been really phenomenal," he says. He plans a jazz tour of France for the summer of 2005. He is excited because his love of French language and culture is right up there with his love of jazz and he loves to take any opportunity to combine the two. His work on his newly released jazz CD "Dream Your Dreams" provides twelve wonderful testaments to his talent-each song is distinct and impressive, with a single unifying theme of fabulous.
Oops, this is starting to move a little dangerously in the direction of superlative, so let's just say that if you love jazz and you value simplicity, you will find Todd's voice, and his new CD, simply delightful.
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