A husband and wife team, Abby and Dan Savell are both professional musicians in Los Angeles by training and experience.
They have a special fondness for calypso, reggae, and soca, so being able to perform this music for a living is a true privilege.
Both are proud members of the American Federation of Professional Musicians, Local 47. Abby and Dan are professional, punctual, courteous, and are always willing to give their clients suggestions that may help the musical atmosphere of the event. Often, they perform as a larger band, Nesta, with other musicians (i.e., steel pan, bass, drums, guitar, marimba, keyboard), up to a 7-piece band.

 

 

Dan Savell has been playing music since the age of four and playing percussion since the age of thirteen. He began playing steel drums ten years ago while at Fullerton College (in Southern California) and immediately took to the instrument. While at Fullerton College, he played with Big Bamboo Steel Band and performed with renowned pan greats Ken Philmore, Robert Greenidge, and Boogsie Sharpe. He began doing solo steel drum performances soon after. In 1996,Dan transferred to California Institute of the Arts in Valencia and studied with percussion maestro John Bergamo. There he studied improvisation with trumpeter Leo Smith and guitarist Larry Koonse. Dan has visited Trinidad twice, performing with “Phase II” and “Desperadoes” Steelbands in Panorama, the annual competition that occurs during Carnival. Dan graduated from Cal Arts in 1998 with his Bachelors degree in Percussion. Since then he has become a full- time professional steel drum player, performing regularly at private and public events. Because of his expertise, he was hired as the steel drum consultant on the hit NBC TV show, "The Office". On the general percussion side, Dan's performances also keep him busy. In 2004, Dan completed the world premiere run of "The Peachblossom Fan" at the REDCAT theatre in downtown Los Angeles and can be heard in the Original Cast Recording for this show with composer Stephin Merritt. He also plays drumset professionally, and has performed regularly with Broadway star Neile Adams, jazz icon Kim Richmond, "Circo Mundial" (the National Hispanic Circus), and the late magician Harry Blackstone Jr., as well as performing in over twenty musical productions in the Los Angeles area. Dan currently studies jazz improvisation with recording studio veteran Jules Greenberg. Dan was the staff percussionist for the Cal Arts dance department from 2004-2006. In 2007, he released his album “Velocity in Texture: Percussion for the Modern Dance Class,” which was met with high acclaim. Dan's article, "Getting Around the Double Seconds, " was published in the Percussive Arts Society journal in 2007. He was seen and heard playing steel pan on the TV shows, "Deal or No Deal," and drums on "Ugly Betty," and "Dirty Sexy Money."


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Abby Savell has been playing music since the age of five, when her grandma bought her an upright piano, on which she took lessons for ten years.
At fourteen, she began playing percussion and took to it immediately. She attended Mission Viejo High School, legendary for its exemplary music program, especially in percussion; she was extremely active in drumline, and as a principal mallet player and section leader led the group to dozens of state and regional victories. During this time, she also took jazz lessons with Paul Carman (of Frank Zappa fame) Abby received her Bachelor's of Music in Percussion from Chapman University in 2002; soon after, she joined the steeldrum band Big Bamboo, playing tenor pan and performing at numerous events. Abby is one of the only female steel drum/vocalists in the Los Angeles area. Abby completed her Master's degree in Percussion at California Institute of the Arts, studying Western percussion with David Johnson and John Bergamo, Latin Percussion with Aaron Serfaty, and improvisation with harpist Susan Allen. In May 2004, she performed the World Premiere of the highly virtuosic Sonata for Xylophone and Piano by acclaimed composer Bruce Levine. She also played percussion with bass-legend Charlie Haden, in his "Liberation Orchestra II", as well as performing with xylophone virtuoso Bob Becker on the East Coast and in Los Angeles. She has performed with the Pacific Symphony Orchestra multiple times (including under renowned composer/conductor John Williams) and with award-winning Elvis Schoenberg's "Orchestre Surreal." Currently, Abby plays with the Kim Richmond Concert Jazz Orchestra, with whom she has performed at the Jazz Bakery, and onstage for the Spotlight Awards at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion. Abby loves playing steel pan professionally, having performed at countless private and public functions with a band and as a soloist. She has also worked and performed with steel drum virtuoso Ken Philmore, and visited Trinidad (the birthplace of steel drums). Abby also specializes in mallet percussion, with which she plays many genres of music on the solo and group level. On steel pan, she appeared on the show "Outer Spaces" on HGTV. As an artist, Abby puts much weight on musical growth, continuing to take lessons with musicians she admires and maintaining a practice regimen.
(310) 666-3464
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Dan Savell with pan- legend Boogsie
Sharpe in Trinidad, January 2004
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Abby after performing as a guest in
the stage show "What's My Line?" in
Hollywood. Drew Carey is in the
background, as he was the "Mystery
Guest" for the show. (See Clients page
for more info).

3Abby Savell performing at the Laguna Beach Art Affaire, July 2004
 
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