June 16, 2009
SUMMERNIGHTS FOUR-CONCERT SERIES AT THE JEWISH MUSEUM
Margot Leverett kicks off the series, beginning Thursday July 2nd at 7:30pmNEW YORK, NY - The Jewish Museum's popular SummerNights program returns, presenting live world music in a concert setting on four Thursdays in July. Each concert begins at 7:30 pm. Margot Leverett and the Klezmer Mountain Boys, performing their unique mix of bluegrass and klezmer, kick off SummerNights on July 2. This cosmopolitan concert series features critically acclaimed musicians offering innovative interpretations of music from all over the world. Other scheduled performers include Musette Explosion with accordionist Will Holshouser and guitarist Matt Munisteri echoing on French jazz of the 1930s and 40s with fiery improvisations; the virtuosic brass band music of SLAVIC SOUL PARTY!; and Ljova and the Kontraband performing a mix of Eastern-European melodies, Latin rhythms and jazz-inspired improvisations. The Jewish Museum is located at Fifth Avenue at 92nd Street, Manhattan.
Tickets for each concert are $15 for the general public; $12 for students and seniors; and $10 for Jewish Museum members. For further information regarding programs at The Jewish Museum, the public may call 212.423.3337 or visit http://www.thejewishmuseumorg/
SUMMERNIGHTS CONCERT SERIES SCHEDULE
July 2, 7:30 pm
MARGOT LEVERETT AND THE KLEZMER MOUNTAIN BOYS
This ensemble combines Appalachian and southern fiddle tunes with Eastern European klezmer melodies to create a soulful sound and a foot-stomping good time. Virtuoso clarinetist Margot Leverett adds depth and complexity to the raw and spirited energy of The Klezmer Mountain Boys.
The Klezmer Mountain Boys - bandleader and clarinetist Margot Leverett, bassist Marty Confurius, guitarist Joe Selly, fiddler Kenny Kosek, and mandolinist Barry Mitterhoff - create a danceable and beautiful blend that draws and delights audiences of all ages. Founded by Margot Leverett (an original member of the Klezmatics) and Barry Mitterhoff (Hot Tuna), and the band has been featured at the Chicago World Music Festival and the Louisville Performing Arts Center.
July 9, 7:30 pm
MUSETTE EXPLOSION
Accordionist Will Holshouser and guitarist Matt Munisteri play musette and swing, echoing French jazz with an emphasis on fiery improvisation, drawing on uptempo music from the 1920s-1940s.
Musette Explosion explores the music of the great French accordionists of the 1930s and 40s (including Gus Viseur, Tony Murena, Jo Privat and others) who along with guitarists such as Django Reinhardt borrowed from American jazz to create Gypsy swing and other delightful hybrids, injecting the dance music of their time with excitement and unparalleled musical creativity.
July 16, 7:30 pm
SLAVIC SOUL PARTY!
The musicians of Slavic Soul Party!- featuring Jacob Garchik, John Carlson, Brian Drye, Peter Stan, Ben Holmes, Ron Caswell, Matt Moran and Oscar Noriega - forge virtuosic new brass band music, melding Gypsy, East European, Mexican, and Asian immigrant backgrounds with American jazz and soul.
One of the hardest working bands in New York City, the Brooklyn-based Slavic Soul Party! plays nearly 100 times a year in the US, Europe, and beyond. They have performed at Babylon (Istanbul) with the Karandila Orkestar, at Irving Plaza (New York City) with Gogol Bordello, on the Warped Tour (U.S.), and in virtually every major New York club. The band's third CD, Teknochek Collision is on the Barbes Records label, released in 2007 through Ryko Distribution. The band's fourth CD, Remixed, will be released this year.
July 23, 7:30 pm
LJOVA AND THE KONTRABAND
East European melodies, Latin rhythms, jazz-inspired improvisations, and classical forms are given new meanings in original compositions that forge new directions, with a nostalgic nod to the past.
Ljova and the Kontraband - Ljova (viola), Inna Barmash (vocal), -- Patrick Farrell (accordion), Mathias Kunzli (percussion), and Mike Savino (bass) - made its debut in June 2006, and has performed at venues such as The Museum of Modern Art, Philadelphia Museum of Art, the Brooklyn Academy of Music and Joe's Pub. Founded by film composer Lev "Ljova" Zhurbin, the ensemble also features his close collaborators on vocals, accordion, bass and percussion. The Kontraband's debut CD, Mnemosyne, featuring special guests Frank London, William Schimmel, Uli Geissendoerfer, Alon Yavnai and Marcus Rojas, was released in September 2008.
The 2009 SummerNights concert series has been funded by a generous endowment from the William Petschek Family.
Public Programs at The Jewish Museum are supported, in part, by public funds from by the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs and the New York State Council on the Arts, a State Agency. The audio-visual system has been funded by The Fan Fox and Leslie R. Samuels Foundation, Inc.
About The Jewish Museum
The Jewish Museum was established on January 20, 1904 when Judge Mayer Sulzberger donated 26 ceremonial art objects to The Jewish Theological Seminary of America as the core of a museum collection. Today, The Jewish Museum maintains an important collection of 26,000 objects - paintings, sculpture, works on paper, photographs, archaeological artifacts, ceremonial objects, and broadcast media. Widely admired for its exhibitions and educational programs that inspire people of all backgrounds, The Jewish Museum is the preeminent United States institution exploring the intersection of 4,000 years of art and Jewish culture.
General Information For general information on The Jewish Museum, the public may visit the Museum's Web site at http://www.thejewishmuseum.org