Bevan Suits, a musician who came to Madison from Atlanta, is certain there’s lots of talent hidden in youths across Madison’s many apartment complexes. So he’s going door to door to find it.
Suits specializes in Cuban percussion and wants to give kids in places like east Madison’s Harmony and Meadowlands apartments something to do.
Suits is the executive director of Jam With Cuba, a talent agency in Madison built around world music, particularly Cuban music and dance.
Jam With Cuba has been partnering with residents at the Harmony at Grandview Commons apartments in particular to get kids interested in learning Cuban drumming and dancing and, most of all, connecting with an energetic form of music that can take pain away.
The program includes training in percussion and reflects AfroCuban traditions that are at the root of salsa and Latin jazz. Because he doesn’t have money for enough instruments to train the youths, Suits uses YouTube videos of AfroCuban musical acts to show kids how to perform the music.
Suits himself studied with a number of teachers including members of Cuba’s Los Munequitos de Matanzas and percussionists from Rock ’n’ Roll Hall of Fame group Santana.
“I was out at the Harmony apartments the other day and I can’t believe the talent that they have,” Suits said of the young people there. “I don’t come in as just some white guy who knows Cuban music. I just play the music and it’s like boom!”
There has been a lot of pain to take away at the Harmony apartments, which is on the 5900 block of Milwaukee Street. In July, a shooting on the property took the life of a young man, 20-year-old Devon Grant. Police recovered 60 shell casings from the scene and called it a targeted attack. Then on the night of Oct. 10, a group of four people opened fire outside the building, killing a 15-year-old girl and injuring three 14-year-old children.
Suits was shocked when he heard news of the shooting in July and went to the apartments the very next day to try to engage youths in Cuban music and dance, and was pleasantly surprised at their level of engagement.
“I was there right after the shooting and kids were out playing,” Suits said. “They weren’t cowering in their basements or something. They are very resilient.”
Bevan Suits plays Cuban percussion with residents outside of the community room at Harmony at Grandview Commons Apartments in Madison. He first visited the apartment complex after a fatal shooting in July.
But for Suits it became a personal reason to continue trying to work with the youths.
“I know the dad of the young man who was killed and my partner, Tabias Wilson, is his (the victim’s) cousin,” Suits said. “After the funeral I was out there and drummed. … That is the magic of Cuban music.”
Tabias Wilson, 24, is a resident at Harmony and has been helping Suits get kids at the apartments involved.
“We’ve got a pretty tight community, but we could use more cross-cultural exposure for kids,” Wilson said. “This kind of music helps to connect to the world outside Wisconsin.”
Suits began knocking on doors seeking to give kids musical training. But providing instruments for the kids to learn takes money. It’s money Suits didn’t have.
“So anyway, I got started at Harmony and then I got with the alders (on Madison City Council) and they said we need this program,” Suits said. “I asked if there was someone who could pay for this. Alder (Derek) Field said the owner of the Harmony, Royal Capital Group, told him they would fund it. I said I’ll do it even if they don’t, and that turned out to be the case.”
Nolan Smith, 6, leans against a post and shakes a shaker as Bevan Suits plays hand drums outside of the community room at Harmony at Grandview Commons on Oct. 17. Suits is looking for more financial support to buy instruments for the children.
Royal Capital Group is a Black-owned venture firm in Milwaukee and owns Harmony apartments. Royal Capital owns several housing projects including one development in a partnership with the Milwaukee Bucks.
Suits and Field, who represents City Council District 3 including the Harmony neighborhood, said Royal Capital representatives stated verbally they would commit money to the program but have not.
“One challenge for that property is it was developed before the city executed community services and things in the area, so it’s not the most exciting place to grow up as a child,” Field said. “In my view it would give them something to do and play with each other in a way that I don’t think they have much of.”
Suits asked Wilson to canvas kids at Harmony to see how many had access to instruments they could use from school, and continued to seek funding for instruments people could have at home and other program costs. Suits began looking at creating programming at Harmony apartments as far back as April and is still in the early stages of the project.
“I’m excited that it’s getting off the ground,” Field said. “I’m eager to see it get started. Its goal is to foster community and talents for the kids over there. I’ve had some trouble seeing commitments on the part of the property owners. They have some lofty programming ambitions and I’ve heard the same line about that for five months now.”
The lack of amenities on Madison’s far east side makes a program like this all the more vital, he said.
Field pointed out that Harmony apartments recently went through the city’s public nuisance abatement process and part of that process was monthly meetings with the owners, the property management team and city officials. After the shooting in July, according to Field, “the management company got really serious about wanting to do some programming and getting residents talking to each other.”
That’s when he said Royal Capital pledged to contribute money toward programming, but Field has “been waiting to see what that commitment looks like.”
Instead, Madison Gas & Electric gave $1,000 to Suits toward the Harmony/Jam With Cuba partnership, which Suits said is exciting.
Nolan Smith, 6, looks up at his dad as he plays bongo drums with Bevan Suits at Harmony apartments in Madison on Oct. 17. Suits is convinced Madison’s apartment complexes are loaded with potential musical talent.
Still, he pointed out, more is needed.
“We’re an arts organization. So, where is the talent?” Suits said. “The talent is in these apartments you keep hearing about in the media, the Harmony and the Meadowlands. It’s outside of what kids do in school. Look at all these apartments. Vera Court and Madison Truax and Harmony. How much talent is in these apartments? I’m not here to blame anyone or point fingers. But you see all these millions of dollars put into arts infrastructure in buildings on East Wash. Yeah, so where are the kids?”
Field said the financial aspect of this from a city of Madison perspective is complicated.
“Funding is hard. We’re operating at a structural deficit. Most of the money that could be used for something like this is levy limited by the state,” Field said, in reference to a state law that limits how much Madison can increase its property tax collections.
While finances get sorted out, Suits is committed to building the program, using whatever means are at his disposal. In addition to Harmony apartments, Suits has been over at Eastpointe Apartments on Madison’s east side, as well as the Meadowlands at 6834 Milwaukee St. looking for interested youths.
“We’ve been connecting with residents at apartment communities across Madison for several months,” Suits said. “We build on that.”