Leon deVose, Jr., Neighbor

Leon was born, reared and educated in Newark, NJ, including his undergraduate studies at Rutgers University Newark Campus where he earned a B.A. in music. He and his Bride Delretha (Gorham) are parents of three, one of whom is deceased. They are also grandparents of 11 and great-grandparents of 1.

Leon is a musician and photographer. He composes and performs mostly contemporary jazz and contemporary Christian, primarily on alto saxophone and Afro-Latin percussion. He first learned percussion from his father, Leon, Sr., lead drummer for the Essex County African Dance Society, and saxophone from the late Dr. William Phipps. He also studied at Newark Community Center of the Arts, where he was further taught by Jesse Morrison and Jesse Anderson on saxophone, Duke Anderson on Jazz ensemble and composition and arrangement and Dorothy Gowdy on Pop ensemble. He also further developed his African drumming technique with Louines Louines. Leon thanks his mother, Delores, for her constant ardent support of his endeavors. He is working on both recording and marketing his original work for licensing. He performs mostly solo. His predominant ensemble work over the past 20 years has been recording and performing with the Oracle Christian Rock Band (https://oracleband.com) led by Mark Caplan. Some of Leon's performance and composition work can be heard at https://leondevose.com/music. His landscape and still life photography is on sale at https://leondevose.com/images.

Leon was ordained a pastor in 1995 at Calvary Chapel Four Winds, under Rev. Bruce Koczman. Leon and Delretha together attend and assist at Immanuel Fellowship Church (https://ifcnj.org) in Union, NJ. They live in East Orange, NJ, in a home whose property lines are also the boundary lines between Newark and East Orange, their birth and adopted hometowns.

28 May 2021