December 06, 2008
Fishel Bresler's Klezmer & Hassidic Ensemble
Fishel Bresler's Klezmer & Hassidic Ensemble will perform their 18th
annual concert on Wednesday December 24th - 7:30 PM at Congregation Ohawe Shalom Coffee House
Pawtucket RI
671 East Ave in Pawtucket (corner of Glenwood, nr where Blackstone meets Hope St)
Doors open 7:00PM $10 adults, $7 children (under B-Mitzvah).
Special sponsor seating in the front rows $18 per seat
Funded in part by a grant from the RI State Council on the Arts
In honor of Chanukah, Latkes will be on sale, along with other snacks & beverages.
For questions 401 273-9814
photo credit Irving Schild ABOUT THE MUSICIANS
Fishel (Michael) Bresler (clarinet, flute, mandolin, harmonica) has studied Klezmer clarinet and mandolin with the contemporary master, Andy Statman, over the course of more than a decade. This study was partially supported by grants from the Rhode Island State Council on the Arts and the New England Foundation for the Arts. Besides the recent Folk Arts Fellowship, Mr. Bresler has also served as a Master Artist in three Klezmer apprenticeships, from RISCA & NEFA. In 1997 he replaced an ailing Andy Statman on the first half of a national tour with noted mandolinist David Grisman. In addition to performing, he currently does therapeutic music with multiply-handicapped children, and teaches music to both children & adults.
Shelley Katsh, MSW, (keyboard, accordion) is a Certified Music Therapist and social worker, currently on the staff of Jewish Family Service. She has played and sung with the famed Zamir Chorale, coauthored the book, The Music Within You, and has been the musical director of the Jewish Theater Ensemble, as well as Temple Emanuel's theater productions.
Bob Rakalam Moses (drums, percussion) has been described by jazz critic Nat Hentoff as " one of the grander imaginations in America's true classical music." Percussionist Bob Moses has played with Charles Mingus, Rahsaan Roland Kirk, Erik Dolphy, Gary Burton & Larry Coryell, among others, in the course of a colorful 35-year career. He is currently on the faculty of the New England Conservatory of Music.
This year Bresler's music is funded in part by a *grant from the RI State Council on the Arts*; he was awarded their Folk Arts Fellowship Grant for 2008-2009. RISCA describes their fellowships as "highly competitive grants that encourage the creative development of artists by enabling them to set aside time to pursue their work and achieve specific career goals."
Fishel & his wife, who is his partner in the managing of his music, hope to use these funds to complete a CD.
For years Bresler has been collecting Jewish tunes passed down through families for generations, which are shared with him on visits to Brooklyn's religious communities. Now he hopes to be able to share them by CD & Mp3, as well as in concert.
One thing that makes Bresler's music unusual in the world of the klezmer revival, is his daily involvement in traditional Judaism as a spiritual path, which is the the original source of the music. He seeks to bring out the mystical depths in the melodies in each of his performances.
Posted by jmwc at December 6, 2008 07:56 PM