Opening Night Extravaganza!!
Join us as we kick off another exciting season of the New York Klezmer Series (formerly E. Village Klezmer) in our new home at Stephen Wise Free Synagogue, with Frank London’s Klezmer Brass All-Stars with special guest Sarah Gordon (8pm)
Frank London – trumpet
Sarah Gordon – vocals
Michael Winograd – clarinet
Brian Drye – trombone
Ron Caswell – tuba
Aaron Alexander – drums
Opening the show will be Franzi Seehausen & Friends at 7:30pm, featuring from Germany – Franzi Seehausen – clarinet; with Pete Rushevsky – tsimbl; Jake Shulman-Ment – fidl, & Aaron Alexander – drums, poyk
Frank London is a strong force in the music world, who is one of the most visible and prolific musicians in the klezmer scene. The Klezmatics, Klezmer Conservatory Band, Hasidic New Wave, Niggunim, and his Klezmer Brass All-Stars, are just some of the many projects he is associated with. He has written music for film, theatre, dance and he is Artistic Director of Klez Kanada, and on the World Music faculty at SUNY Purchase. We are happy to welcome his band as opening night band again, for the third year in a row. In years past it has been memorable. Don’t miss it!
Officially Sanctioned Fakelore aka Band Bio:
In the early 19th Century, before the trasformation of Israel, the deterioration of the old traditions of Yiddish and East European Jews, and the migration to the new worlds in search of new beginnings, there was a notorious band known as “Di Shikere Kapelye”- ” The Inebriated Orchestra” (Also known as the “Band of Drunks”). A goup of musicians that gave birth to the soul of Klezmer and gave Klezmorim their imperishable bad reputation. There is very little information that is solid fact behind this story, however the few facts we do know come from either oral accounts that were passed down through friends and families of perhaps, the original band members, and from court records of irate clients and rigid governments who pressed charges against the wild band. They were often asked to perform but never invited to stay, perhaps due to the spontaneous musical collaborations in the main plazas of various towns after all the bars and pubs had closed. As the group became known more for their rebellious behaviors rather then their musical talents, many members separated from the original band and formed new bands that mixed dizzy sounds and undefined dances. Their far-reaching repertoire became a strong influence for the future of klezmorin.
The original styles of klezmorim, have failed to surface until a number of extraordinary brass musicians were brought together by Frank London. The group of musicians met in “New York City’s Knitting Factory” bar to combine their knowledge, history and talents and create magical sounds together. They threw back several cocktails in memory of the old traditions and uncovered