White Plains CitizeNetReporter - Local Girl Plays Palace: Elyse Spies, Hot Ticket Jazz Flutist at Art Council Sat

WPCNR After Dark Nightly. By John F. Bailey with Alex Steinberg. April 26, 2002. 3:00 PM EDT: South Broadway Hipsteress, the disstaff "Herbie Mann," Elyse Spies, plays a gig in her home city Saturday night at the Westchester Arts Council, 31 Mamaroneck Avenue, at 7 PM.

ELYSE SPIES, JAZZ FLUTIST, KEYBOARDIST, SINGER, COMPOSER SATURDAY NIGHT AT ARTS COUNCIL. Ms. Spies has played The Bottom Line, Triad Theatre, Lion's Den, Baggot Inn CB's Gallery, and is in demand at the NYC club scene.
Photo by As Communications LLC

Real White Plains Jazz

Spies lived on South Broadway in White Plains from 1996 to 1997, and is backed by guitarist Art Rotfeld and skinsman, Mike Severino, White Plains residents. Bassist Gary Ptak was born and raised in White Plains.

When Elyse takes the stage at the Arts Council Building Saturday evening, the patrons will be hearing jazz in White Plains by White Plains jazz musicians with a national reputation.

Tickets for her performance at the Westchester Arts Council Building, 31 Mamaroneck Avenue at the door are $15 apiece, a fraction of club prices, are available at the door for jazz aficionados to hear Ms. Spies with her combo of native White Plains jazzmen and lady. Elyse is backed up vocally by keyboard artist, Elleen Nicita of Brewster.

A traveling lady.

Elyse Spies, flutist and keyboard impresarioess, composes her own songs, and has been singled out by The Village Voice no less in favorable reviews.

Her first CD, Trip debuted in 2000, and was requested often on WFUV-FM and WARY-FM. This popularity earned her appearances at many of New York City’s hottest jazz clubs.

Spies attended Purchase College in Harrison, after a youth of many homes, spent singing, composing, playing the flute, studying under Jean Pierre Rampal’s student, Peggie Schecter. When she switched to composition courses at Purchase, consisting of learning recording technology, MIDI, jazz piano, and theory/composition, she changed the tunes she was playing.

Seduced by those cool jazz major.

“The jazz majors had quite the attitude,” Spies remembers. “Many times my musician friends and I would end up in the Music Building ‘trading 8s’ or ‘trading 16s’ on jazz standards. For a classical flute player, this was quite a challenging experience! I started a love-hate relationship with jazz. I was intrigued to learn it, but it was incredibly hard work on a flute.”

Meeting the White Plains “Cats”

“The autumn before my senior year of college, I joined ‘Swahoogie,’ a rock band,” Spies recalls. “The day I was asked to join the band, I went out and bought a keyboard. I went to one of their jams and when they heard I could sing, they let me sing some ‘oohs’ and ‘aahs’ on backup. Eventually, I was singing duets with the lead singer. We played at places like the Elbow Room, Downtime, and New Music Café’ in Greenwich Village.”

Elyse met up with the White Plains boys, guitarist Arthur Rotfeld and bassist Gary Ptak five years ago when she joined Swahoogie. The musical direction of all three to include an unmistakable jazz inflection, which can be heard on Spies Trip CD.

Drummer Mike Severino has been working with Rotfeld for a number of years.

Spies and backup vocalist/keyboardist Elleen Nicita have been acquainted for several years, teaching music students.

Rock-Jazz Eclectic Elyse.

Spies has song and played keyboard for Terre Roche of The Roches, with whom she played The Bottom Line for a year.

Now, White Plains welcomes back Ms. Spies Saturday night as featured performer with her band as part of the Westchester Arts Council Jazz Series, produced by Donovan Guy.

Spies is living the glamour of the club scene, which she will bring to White Plains Saturday night:

“I was 20 years old and never been to a club before – so the experience of playing in New York City clubs was quite exhilarating,” she reminisces. “I love the crazy scene. Now, I am breaking free and playing all my own material. I am using my classical knowledge, jazz experience, and original songwriting to create music.”

Ms. Spies talents can be heard live tomorrow evening at the Arts Council Building, 31 Mamaroneck Avenue. A limited number of tickets are available at the door.

You can hear her CD on her wesbsite, www.elysespies.com.


Create an account		The White Plains Daily Internet Newspaper...Founded 2000 A.D....


			Designed and hosted by WestchesterInternet.com