The Bay Area's 26th Annual Jewish Music Festival

Yemen Blues, the band National Geographic called "...the coolest thing in WOMEX 2011." will be kicking off the festival, which runs from March 5th-13th. The schedule is as follows:

03/05/2011, Sat
Berkeley, CA
Yemen Blues
Freight & Salvage Coffee House @ 2020 Addison St.
Tix: $25.50 adv/$30.50 door, Show: 8:00 pm
# Ph: 510.644.2020

03/06/2011, Sun
Berkeley, CA
Ger Mandolin Ensemble, 2011
Freight & Salvage Coffee House @ 2020 Addison St.
Tix: $20.50 adv/$25.50 door, Show: 2:00 pm

03/06/2011, Sun
Berkeley, CA
Veretski Pass Freight & Salvage Coffee House @ 2020 Addison St.
Tix: $18.50 adv/$22.50 door, Show: 8:00 pm


03/08/2011, Tue
Berkeley, CA
Noah Bendix-Balgley
Crowden Music Center @ 1475 Rose Street
Tix: $15 adv/$20 door, Show: 7:30 pm
# Ph: 510.559.6910

03/09/2011, Wed
San Francisco, CA
Noah Bendix-Balgley
SF Public Library @ 100 Larkin St.
Show: 6:00 pm
# Ph: 415.557.4400 . Tix: FREE.

03/10/2011, Thu
Berkeley, CA
Noah Bendix-Balgley
Jewish Community Center of the East bay @ 1414 Walnut St.
Tix: $10 adv/$15 door, Show: 2:00 pm
# Senior Matinee Show. Ph: 510.848.0237

03/12/2011, Sat
Berkeley, CA
David Buchbinder's Odessa/Havana Thrust Stage, Berkeley Repertory Theater @ 2025 Addison St.
Tix: $18 adv/$22 door, Show: 8:00 pm
# Ph: 510.647.2900

03/13/2011, Sun
Berkeley, CA


Tickets: www.jewishmusicfestival.org or 866.558.4253
Festival information: 510-848-0237

Additional Festival Related Events

02/23/2011, Wed
Berkeley, CA
Don Byron Plays the Music of Mickey Katz Freight & Salvage @ 2020 Addison St.
Tix: $22.50-24.50, Doors Open: 7:00 pm, Show: 8:00 pm


02/27/2011, Sun
Berkeley, CA
Yiddish Culture Festival with JCC Sonoma County's Simcha Sunday
KlezCalifornia @ 1728 Allston Way
Tix: $5.00, Show: 12 pm
Ph: 415.789.7679

03/25/2011, Fri
Berkeley, CA
Beyond the Pale
Subterranean Art House @ 2179 Bancroft Way
Ph: 510.981.

03/27/2011, Sun
San Francisco, CA
Beyond the Pale
Amnesia Bar @ 853 Valencia Street
Ph: 415.970.0012

04/02/2011, Sat
Berkeley, CA
Trinity Chamber Concert Series with McGuiness, Pankonin, Garner
Trinity Chapel @ 2320 Dana Street
Tix: $10-15, Show: 8 pm
Ph: 510.549.3864


Festival Finale Dance Party
Jewish Community Center of the East bay @ 1414 Walnut St.
Tix: $$10 adv/$15 door, Show: 4:00 pm
# Ph: 310.848.0237


It started with a knock on Festival Director Eleanor Shapiro's door. There stood Avner Yonai, an Israeli businessman who had searched record bins and archives from Buenos Aires, Warsaw, and Jerusalem in search of the repertoire his grandfather had played in a Polish Jewish mandolin orchestra before World War II.

"Avner came to me out of the blue," explains Shapiro. "He was a long-time fan of the Festival and wanted his project to be part of it. The Ger Mandolin Ensemble, 2011 (March 6; Freight and Salvage Coffee House)unites almost a dozen of the country's strongest mandolin players, directed by Mike Marshall, whose masterful playing has left its imprint on bluegrass, classical, and jazz, with Avi Avital, whose classical performances The New York Times called "exquisitely sensitive." Avital is a 2011 Grammy-nominee in the soloist with an orchestra category, the first time a mandolin player has received such an honor. Other players include Eric Stein (Beyond the Pale), Jeff WarschauerRadiim Zenkl and Chris Acquavella.

(Strauss/Warschauer Duo),
"The Opening Night group Yemen Blues also wanted their Bay Area premiere to be with us, on their first U.S. tour," Shapiro continues. "It speaks to our role as a leading platform for Jewish arts, and our emphasis on paying creative homage to tradition."

Known for its embrace of edgy and worldly takes on Jewish roots, the Festival has become the go-to venue for global music inspired by the deep past: artists from the charismatic groove of Yemen Blues and the klezmer cubano of Odessa/Havana, artists breathing new lifeinto the lost repertoires of Romanian villages, Russian Jewish composers, and Polish folk orchestras.

Led by vocalist Ravid Kahalani's striking voice (formerly of the Idan Raichel Project), Yemen Blues (March 5; Freight and Salvage) stole the show at this year's international World Music Expo (WOMEX). Taking the Yemenite chants he learned growing up and powered by brassy Afrobeat-tinged funk, blues, jazz and wild oud (Middle Eastern lute), Kahalani and his nine-piece band have a genre-bending drive that swings from the sublime to the ecstatic.

Veretski Pass (March 6; Freight and Salvage), named for the Carpathian native region of violinist Cookie Segelstein's parents, honors the past by creatively reframing its music. Drawing on the rich melodies and rhythms that flourished where the Balkans and the Ottoman Empire met, Veretski Pass ' virtuosic players craft elegant arrangements and innovative original works, such as "Klezmer Shul." This recent piece reimagines secular instrumental traditions for a religious context, creating stirring liturgical music with klezmer roots.

A Laureate of the prestigious Queen Elisabeth Competition in Brussels, emerging international star violinist Noah Bendix-Balgley will (March 8 and 10; Crowden School / JCC East Bay) highlight music of the St. Petersburg Society for Jewish Music, a group inspired by Russian composer Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov that drew on Jewish folk songs to create gorgeous early 20th-century art music. Raised on klezmer and conservatory trained in Europe, Bendix-Balgley is the perfect interpreter for these forgotten gems.

Sometimes playing with the past can get truly rambunctious, as David Buchbinder's Odessa/Havana (March 12; Berkeley Repertory Theater) demonstrates. Taking a cue from the Jewish masters of the 1950s mambo craze, two major figures in their respective Canadian scenes-klezmer trumpter David Buchbinder (The Flying Bulgars) and Afro-Cuban percussionist Hilario Durán-have cooked up a project as fun-loving and musically distinct as the two ports of call invoked by the group's name.

The Festival, while attracting world-class artists, never neglects its own roots, the West Coast wing of the klezmer revival born in Berkeley. This year's events are concentrated in Berkeley's new arts district, with easy access to BART. And in keeping with tradition, the Festival offers a free performance by Bendix-Balgley (March 9; San Francisco Public Library), as well as a Festival-related free Shabbat celebration with members of Yemen Blues (March 4; Temple Beth Sholom, San Leandro).

The all-ages Finale Dance Party (March 13; JCC East Bay) will include Bendix-Balgley, Veretski Pass, Jeff Warschauer, and David Buchbinder, as well as dance lessons by Erik Bendix, who has spent decades researching the line, circle, and partner dances of Jewish communities, giving festival goers a chance to kick up their heels.

"Our vision is to bring new music to our audience, music by artists who have a profound respect for tradition but also have a strong contemporary sensibility," explains Shapiro. "Yemen Blues does this via West African music and funk, while the composers of the Jewish Folk Music Society did the same thing using European art music before the Russian Revolution. They show how the past can make the future swing."

Tickets: www.jewishmusicfestival.org or 866.558.4253
Festival information: 510-848-0237

Six Klezmer/Yiddish Events in CA

What a weekend coming up! There are SIX klezmer/Yiddish events between Thursday and Sunday, Check out the dates and venues below.

Thursday, January 27, 6:30pm, Holocaust Remembrance Day: Re-inventing Yiddish Culture in Italy, San Francisco. While few remember that the origins of Yiddish literature can also be traced to the Italian Renaissance, today's Italy has seen an unprecedented revival of "all things Yiddish," including literature, theater, and music. Assisted by musicologist Francesco Spagnolo, Milanese playwriter/songwriter Mara Cantoni will trace the history of the Yiddish revival in Italy, accompanied by music and videos from her work. At the Italian Cultural Institute in San Francisco. No charge. More info: www.iicsanfrancisco.esteri.it. Rsvp to 415.788.7142 X18.

Saturday, January 29, 7:00-10:30pm, Klezmer Music and Dance at Feast of Jewish Learning, Palo Alto. Community Havdoleh at 7:00pm followed by dozens of exciting classes and interactive workshops on Jewish texts, history, poetry, literature, dance, song and film. The first session (7:30-8:30pm) includes a performance by the Yiddish Choristers and a Jewish dance workshop led by Bruce Bierman. The second session (8:45-9:45pm) includes a klezmer dance party with Bruce Bierman and music by The Klezmakers. The Oneg at 9:45pm includes more music by The Klezmakers. At the Oshman Family JCC. The Feast is for those at least bar/bas mitzveh age, and is co-sponsored by KlezCalifornia. No charge. More info: www.bjesf.org/adults_feast.htm, 415.751.6983 X223.

And MORE>>>>>>

Sunday, January 30, noon-2:00pm, Klezmer Brunch with Veretski Pass, San Francisco. Vegan and vegetarian food for sale. At Porto Franco Art Parlor. On the second floor; no elevator. Tickets: donation of $0-$100 at brownpapertickets.com. More info: www.portofrancoart.com/klezmer-brunch, 650.575.2044.

Sunday, January 30, 2:00pm, Songs and Poems of Hirsh Glik, read by translators Jack Hirschman and Zachary Baker, San Francisco. Vilna ghetto author Glik wrote the Partisan Hymn and other songs and poems of Jewish resistance. Presented by the Workmen's Circle/Arbeter Ring at the SFSU Labor Archive, 480 Winston Drive, San Francisco. Refreshments served. No charge. More info: 415.566.7235, DMScott01[at]yahoo.com.

Sunday, January 30, 3:00-4:30pm, Klezmer/Yiddish Kids' Show with Gerry Tenney and California Klezmer, Berkeley. At Ashkenaz Music & Dance Community Center. Admission: $6 adults, $4 kids. More info: www.ashkenaz.com, 510.525.5054.

Sunday, January 30, 4:00-6:00pm, Berkeley. Hungry for Yiddish? A Mitzvah Project, Berkeley. Yiddish/Jewish/world music and art to raise money for the San Francisco Food Bank and help feed the hungry. This event will be held at JCC of the East Bay, with Janam, Heather Klein's Inextinguishable Trio, Mike Perlmutter, Dave Rosenfeld, Marguerite Ostro, Jeanette Lewicki, Marisa Binder, Yumi Thomas, Alla Gladysheva, and Aaron Kierbel. Bruce Bierman will lead dancing. KlezCalifornia is a co-sponsor. Tickets: $10 at the door. More info: 702.498.1999. www.HeatherLKlein.com .

Cantor Unplugged

Saturday, January 29 · 8:00pm - 10:00pm
Location Congregation Sha'ar Zahav
290 Dolores St. (corner of 16th & Dolores)
San Francisco, CA

Join Cantor Sharon Bernstein and friends Carolyn Reiser, Cantor Leigh Korn, and Henry Carrey, as she throws off her cantorial persona and wanders through the (American) (Jewish) (Gay) songbook.

$10 members; $15 non-members; children 12 and under free
Congregation Sha'ar Zahav 415/861-6932

Flory Jagoda article in Sephardic Horizons online

The journal Sephardic Horizons, Vol. 1, No. 2 Winter 2011 has an open access article about Flory Jagoda which is an interview by Rosine Nussenblatt. Flory Jagoda is a famous Sephardic singer from Bosnia who currently lives in Arlington, VA. Click the link to read the article
http://sephardichorizons.org/Volume1/Issue2/Articles_V1I2/Flory_Jagoda.html

Gerard Cohen Clarinet Chamber Music in NY

clarinet chamber music...

Performance of Grneta Variations for clarinet duo and piano
Sunday, January 23, 6:00 p.m., New York, NY
Performance of Grneta Variations for clarinet duo and piano, as part of the concert Classicals & Supper with the Grneta Ensemble. With pianist Alexandra Joan and clarinetists Vasko Dukovski and Ismail Lumanovski. Drom, 85 Avenue A (b/w 5th & 6th) New York, NY - (212) 777-1157
for more information: http://www.dromnyc.com/events/635/classicals--supper-wgrneta-ensemble

Lucky Break at Jewish Music Cafe and More

Lucky Break, a band of veteran bluegrass singers and instrumentalists who combine the stark beauty of Appalachian music with Shabbat Z’mirot (Sabbath songs). Now you can experience the blending of traditional American bluegrass music with Shabbat Z’mirot during your Jewish-themed events. Lucky Break is a roots-oriented bluegrass band that brings a traditional and expressive voice to the genre while providing a fresh approach to the songs of the Sabbath. Once you hear the rockabilly influence on “Shalom Aleichem” and the Celtic flavor of “Tzur Mishelo” you’ll never think of Shabbat Z’mirot the same way again.

Lucky Break will appear this weekend at:
Sat., Jan. 22, 2011
8:45 P.M.
Jewish Music Cafe
401 9th St.
Brooklyn, NY
and
Sun., Jan. 23, 2011
7:00 P.M.
Davar Institute
1500 Sussex Rd.
Teaneck, NJ
Jerry Wicentowski rebelled against his Orthodox upbringing, but only to a degree. He wouldn’t take the bus from his Brooklyn home to Washington Square Park to join his friends for bluegrass jam sessions but instead he stayed at home, incessantly practicing guitar runs in his bedroom to the great frustration of his father. Now in his fifties, Wicentowski has stopped rebelling. He does not play instruments on Shabbat. But he’s a highly respected bluegrass musician who’s found a way to combine his passion for the music with his religious faith. His greatest limitation, it appears, is that he is unavailable for most weekend gigs.

Reporter Jon Kalish profiles him in this week’s podcast.
http://www.tabletmag.com/podcasts/21468/blessed-bluegrass/

A Jewish Star Singing Competition

From the Jewish Music Plus blog we learn that a music contest is underway. Voting for contestants for Season 2 of A Jewish Star Singing Competition, the online Jewish singing competition which has engaged the orthodox Jewish music community, will end Friday, January 21 at 12:00 pm EST. 10 finalists will be chosen from 144 contestants from the worldwide talent competition and 3 will be chosen from the Jewish Star Junior competition. The MC will be the beloved Country Yossi, renowned entertainer, Jewish radio host and singer.

The finale of A Jewish Star season two will be hosted by the annual Soul to Soul concert, benefiting the education of children with special needs.

The show will take place on Sunday, February 20, 2011 , at 7pm
at the Brooklyn School for Music & Theatre,
883 Classon Avenue, Brooklyn, New York.
As in years past, the concert will be separate seating only.
Tickets start at $75.
Finalists performing will be rated and narrowed down by the new judges panel: Jewish music superstar Avraham Fried, multi-talented producer and composer Eli Gerstner and comic entertainer and actor Mendy Pellin.

The winner will be receiving a 2 year car lease of a 2011 Honda Accord from Leasing Direct, $1000 cash from Tribul credit-card processing services, recording a song at Ruli Ezrachi studio in Brooklyn with coaching time by Avraham Fried and career promotion by Aderet / MostlyMusic.com.

The winner of A Jewish Star Junior will be joining the Yeshiva Boys Choir (YBC), and will be receiving 2 flight tickets to Israel with hotel accommodations covered by VIP Israel, $1,000 from Tribul credit-card processing services and career promotion by Aderet / MostlyMusic.com.

For more information, go tohttp://www.thejewishmusicreview.com/2011/01/all-star-at-soul-to-soul.html

EAST VILLAGE KLEZMER SERIES

East Village Klezmer Series Returns - January 18th, 8:30pm with a wonderful double bill: Adrianne Greenbaum's Fleytmusik - featuring Pete Rushevsky, and Zevy Zions - solo accordion. EAST VILLAGE KLEZMER SERIES

Klezmer and Yiddish Music returns to the East Village, where it once was king, at a new series curated by Aaron Alexander at the Sixth Street Community Synagogue, 325 E. Sixth Street | New York, NY 10003. The lineup for the winter/spring series includes a fantastic lineup including wonderful klezmorim from New York and faraway places such as Montreal, Berlin, Boston, and the UK. We are lucky to have such a great group of musicians contributing to this endeavor. Please come out and support the series!

The series are co-sponsored by Workmen?s Circle/Arbeiter Ring of NY, All shows start at 8.30 and cover is $15 (drink included) unless otherwise noted.

Cover: $15 (includes a drink).

FLEYTMUSIK

Prior to the existence of the larger klezmer ensemble or kapelye that included brass and clarinets, the flute ? a popular instrument of all varieties throughout world history ? was often part of the smaller klezmer band; as one of the quieter instruments allowed in religious settings, it was an obvious partner with the violin and cimbalom. Early photos of larger bands show one or more flutes. These flutes were generally of the multi-keyed variety, a few Boehm-system, but mostly simple-system and/or what we now sometimes refer to as transitional.

Flutes played an important role taking the high melodic lines and fills in the early American bands of Art Shryer, Harry Kandel, and Abe Schwartz, to name but a few. Shloymke Kosch and Israel Chazin, employing exemplary tones and technical facility, are among the unfortunately all-too-few recorded flute soloists.

Adrianne performs on vintage wood instruments, returning the flute to its rightful place in the traditional small klezmer ensemble.

ZEV ZIONS

Opening the night will be accordion virtuoso Zev Zions performing a solo set of music drawn from his 3 solo accordion CDs. Zevy is a master of the accordion. He grew up in the Orthodox world of The Bronx and Brooklyn, listening to the likes of Rudy Tepel and the Epstein brothers in his childhood, and old 78s on his record player or on WEVD. He has been involved in Klezmer and Jewish music his whole life, working in the top wedding bands in New York, including Neshoma, Neginah and many others. He recorded an instructional klezmer DVD with Andy Statman in the 1980s, and has been in important part of the the NY klezmer group, ?Klezmerfest!? since 1995, including co-producing their CDs and contributing original material. He began a project to record Accordion Classics, and has completed 3 CDs to date to much acclaim. These can be sampled at his website www.oliveblossoms.com.

He has an interesting day job; he is a practicing professional Mohel. You can find out all about that at www.rabbizions.com.

Upcoming Dates:

Jan. 25th -- The Kleztraphobix - featuring Mike Cohen - clarinet, Jordan Hirsch - cornet, Pesachya Septimus - Accordion, Yoshie Fruchter - bass, Rich Huntley - drums
Feb. 1 - tba
Feb. 8 - Ben Holmes/Patrick Farrell - duo
Feb. 15 - The Levitt Legacy
Feb. 22 - Double Bill: From Berlin!- Christian Dawid w/ Zev Zions & Aaron Alexander and from Boston! - Klezwoods - with Flip Kessler.
Mar. 1 - Encore Concert: Margot Leverett & the Klezmer Mountain Boys
Mar. 8 - from Montreal! - SHTREIML, featuring Jason Rosenblatt
Mar. 15 - tba
Mar. 22 - tba
Mar. 29 - tba
Apr. 5 - Isle of Klezbos - featuring Eve Sicular
Apr. 12 - Avram Pengas Ensemble
May 24 - Meron Music Festival featuring Breslov Bar Band, Aaron Alexander's Meron Mish Mosh & Joey Weisenberg
June 14 - Klezmerfest!

Tribute to Debbie Friedman

From URJweb

Article from the Forward
http://www.forward.com/articles/134594/

"KlezmerQuerque"

"KlezmerQuerque" - The southwest's annual festival of klezmer music & dance celebrates its 9th year February 18-20 (Presidents day weekend).

KlezmerQuerque 2011 is coming!! The 9th annual celebration of Klezmer music & dance will take place over Presidents Day Weekend from February 18-20 (FRI-SUN). The festival is co-produced by Congregation Nahalat Shalom, Nahalat Shalom's 25-piece Community Klezmer band & Rikud Yiddish dance troupe. All KlezmerQuerque events will take place at Nahalat Shalom, 3606 Rio Grande Blvd. NW in Albuquerque (between Candelaria & Griegos on Rio Grande).

KlezmerQuerque 2011 brings us special guset artist Joseph "Yosl" Kurland (Yiddish song, Language & Dance - PLUS traditional Shabbes nusach & prayers in 'loshn-koydesh'). Yosl took up the violin, like his father, in the second grade in the Bronx, and played only classical music for years. Later, he learned guitar and sang songs he learned from Pete Seeger and The Weavers records, "and I dreamed of performing songs about peace and justice as they did." In college in Cambridge and Chicago, he also began performing music for Balkan, Hungarian, and other international folk dancing. As a high school history teacher, he used to perform American labor songs for his students. But it wasn't until he turned 40 that Joe learned to speak Yiddish. "To me, Yiddish offers a way of expressing things with a unique tying together of the earthy and the heavenly," he says. "A single Yiddish word in a story or song can paint a whole picture within a picture because of the layers of meanings attached to it." Joe enjoys writing his own songs in Yiddish, such as an intimate prayer needling God about human injustice, or a story bringing torah personages into modern times to work out their conflicts. "It's an intensely powerful mode of expression because of the associations people make with the original stories and the new interpretations." He also sings for High Holiday and Shabbos services in the style of the Eastern European ba'aley-tefile, prints ketubot, designs websites, and has taught Yiddish language at the National Yiddish Book Center and at various conferences, and has taught in the children's program at the annual "Klez Kamp" Yiddish folk arts program on New York. One of his songs was selected in the 2008 competition for New Jewish Liturgical Music held by the Shalshelet Foundation.

KlezmerQuerque is also honored to present Christina Crowder (accordion & Fulbright scholar in Romanian-Jewish ethno-studies). Christina was trained as a classical pianist, but caught the folk music bug in college and switched to accordion. She later studied Scandinavian and Bulgarian accordion in Seattle and performed with the acoustic folk-rock band Bad Karma Banjo. Christina moved to Hungary in 1993, where she studied Hungarian folk dance and became a founding member of the Budapest-based Yiddish music ensemble Di Naye Kapelye. She appears on their albums Aleph (1995), Di Naye Kapelye (1998), and A Mazeldiker Yid (2001). Di Naye Kapelye focused on both researching and re-creating the sound of the musicians that served rural and urban Jewish communities in the early 20th century. Christina and her husband John DeMetrick continued this research with Fulbright grants to Romania in 1999-2000. Their work encompassed field-work with musicians, archival research and collecting commercial recordings related to Jewish music in Romania. Christina also plays old-time music on banjo and fiddle and travels to various fiddlers' conventions and gatherings in New England and West Virginia. She finds a strong connection between the Appalachian and Klezmer traditions: "I find that playing traditional music - of any kind - is a unique way to connect to history. At a dance or a party, you can really feel yourself connected to essentially the same scene, maybe fifty, a hundred, even 150 years ago. I really enjoy trying to capture the essence of tune, as passed on to me through the musicians or recordings I've learned it from, and then convey that spirit to dancers or an audience." Both Yosl and Christina are members of 'The Wholesale Klezmer Band' which is based in New England (www.ganeydn.com) and they will be teaching, performing and presenting at KlezmerQuerque all weekend.

KlezmerQuerque 2011 is also very excited to bring back our dear friend and incredible virtuoso klezmer clarinetist Margot Leverett, who is one of the foremost clarinetists of the klezmer revival. Classically trained at Indiana University School of Music, she was involved in avant-garde music when she first heard klezmer, the dynamic East European music traditionally played at Jewish weddings. Leverett was a founding member of the Klezmatics in 1985 before moving on to establish a solo career. Her first CD, "The Art of Klezmer Clarinet," a tribute to classic klezmer of the 20's and 30's, was released in 2001 on Traditional Crossroads (CD4296) to glowing reviews. Her current project, "Margot Leverett and the Klezmer Mountain Boys" (www.klezmermountainboys.com) is an all-star band combining the best of bluegrass and klezmer. Their self-titled CD, released to rave reviews in 2002, was choreographed by the Paul Taylor Dance Company in a new work entitled "Klezmerbluegrass". Their latest release "Second Avenue Square Dance" features guest artists Jorma Kaukonen and Hazel Dickens and is available now from Traditional Crossroads. Margot was recently featured as a guest soloist with the Philadelphia Orchestra, along with Udi Bar-David and the artists of Intercultural Journeys, a concert and cultural organization to promote intercultural dialogue (www.philorch.org). She has toured Japan twice with The New York Ragtime Orchestra and has been featured in several Off-Broadway productions. Ms. Leverett was a staff instructor at KlezKamp for over 10 years and has also taught at KlezKanada, Klezkamp West, KlezmerQuerque, and at colleges, music festivals, and Jewish organizations across the country and in Europe. She will be performing Friday & Saturday evenings with ABQ-based klezmer and Judaic ensemble 'The Rebbe's Orkestra' (www.isound.com/rebbes_orkestra_klezmer_and_judaic_band ) and teaching 2 music workshops on Sunday.

KlezmerQuerque 2011 schedule of events:

Feb. 18th Friday evening (6:30pm): Celebrate a special Freylekher Shabbes (Joyous Shabbat) with Yosl Kurland, Margot Leverett, Christina Crowder, Rabbi Deborah Brin, Cantorial soloist Beth Cohen, The Nahalat Shalom Community Klezmer Band, Rikud Yiddish dance troupe and The Rebbe's Orkestra. Schedule for the evening is: 6:30- A joyous danced & participatory 'old country' Shabbat service, 7:15-vegetarian potluck dinner, 7:45 -more dancing to live klezmer music - [$18-suggested optional donation].

Saturday, February 19th from 10am-noon: Yosl Kurland will lead a learner's Shabbos Service featuring a "hands-on" workshop/service about using traditional 'nusach' (special melodies which use specific modes & scales). Using only Shabbos morning material, Yosl will teach us how to put together nusakh elements to chant prayers, as well as interspersing some prayers sung as congregational songs and chanting a khazanic solo within the context of a congregational chant of the kedusha. Teachings & Kavanot will be led by Rabbi Deborah Brin. Service will be followed by a short Oneg. Saturday afternoon from 2-3:30pm: Yosl Kurland will present an introduction to Yiddish language by means of songs and games to convey a bit of vocabulary and a taste of a Jewish way of looking at the world as reflected in the language. [Both Saturday daytime events are FREE & open to ALL!!]

Saturday evening (7-10pm) BIG concert & dance party!! Featuring Yiddish songs and klezmer music by Christina & Yosl & Margot, plus Klezmer & Sephardic music by The Rebbe's Orkestra with special guest clarinetist Margot Leverett. After the sit-down portion of the concert, the chairs will be pushed back for music & dancing with friends from The Community Klezmer band & Rikud joining the guest artists and The Rebbe's Orkestra for a klezmer dance party you won't forget!! [Tix at the door: $20-general / $18-seniors, students & fixed income. Advanced tix are $18-all ages, plus $1.00 handling fee @ Bookworks, 4022 Rio Grande Blvd. N.W. (505)344-8139 & @ Natural Sound, 4011 Central Ave. N.E., in Nob Hill (505) 255-8295 --OR call: (505)243-6276 to reserve tickets].

Sunday, February 20th: THREE workshops in klezmer music & dance from 10am-5pm featuring all 3 guest artists. PLUS a special catered 'Lunch 'n Learn' featuring Fulbright Scholar Christina Crowder's research in Romania and Moldavia. Full class descriptions follow .

10-11:30am: Choose 1 of 3 Classes in klezmer music or dance ($20-general, $15-fixed income/under 18):

1- Yosl: Traditional dance style for dancing at a Jewish wedding: How to move in an old country Jewish dance way, gestures, posture, getting the music to move through your body. Some traditional uses of wedding dance including 'kosher tants' with the bride, how to lift the bride and groom in chairs safely and comfortably, 'mitzve tants' with mime, entertaining the bride and groom with dance, and 'krenzl' (dance to honor the parents).

2- Margot: A closer look at klezmer clarinetist Sid Beckerman's (z"l) life and his music. Be prepared to learn one of his tunes too via his protégé Margot.

3- Christina: will teach a short class till 11am & then play music for Yosl's dance class: Ensemble playing in Klezmer Music: Learn to go 'beyond the page' to add rhythmic, harmonic, and melodic texture to traditional Jewish dance melodies in the context of large and small ensembles. Students will be introduced to the skills necessary to work with a basic 'lead sheet' (main melody with chords) to develop accompaniment patterns, harmonic lines and fills. Advance material will be provided to learn one tune from the repertoire of the Wholesale Klezmer Band.

Noon-1:30: 'Lunch 'n Learn' featuring scholar Christina Crowder [minimum $10-$15 suggested donation]: Enjoy a delicious catered 'milkhik' lunch (NO meat / YES: fish, eggs, dairy & lots of veggie foods), following lunch there will be a presentation. Christina and her husband John were Fulbright scholars in Romania from 1999-2001. During their project, they collected field recordings of non-Jewish musicians playing Jewish and Romanian repertoire, printed source material, and commercial recordings (LPs and 78rpm gramophone records). This presentation will feature some of the field recordings collected in northern Romania-Maramures and Bukovina, gramophone recordings, and a discussion of on-going research to understand the ways in which Jewish music influenced, and was influenced by local musics from Moldavia and Bessarabia (the eastern part of present-day Romania and the Republic of Moldova respectively).

1:45-3:15: Choose ONE workshop in klezmer music OR dance ($20-general, $15-fixed income/under 18):

1- Margot - music from Moldovia & Carpathian regions. With work on the Doina (improvisation). 2- Dance w/ Yosl: Broyges Tants - The dance of anger and reconciliation, traditionally done by the mothers of the bride and groom to teach the couple a lesson about living together. We will go over the basic structure of the dance, and work more intensively on creative improvisation. These days, most mothers of brides and grooms do not know how to do this dance. If there's time he will also teach some wedding traditions such as bazingn/baveynen di kale, and the khosn's tish."

3:30-5:00: Workshop in klezmer music ($20-general, $15-fixed income/under 18): 1- Christina - music: This session will continue the 'Beyond the Page' workshop from the morning session. We will work on a second tune from the repertoire of the Wholesale Klezmer Band to develop strategies to elaborate a basic melody using rhythm, harmony, and melody. Advance material will be provided.

The advanced registration discount for ALL events (3 workshops, 1 Lunch 'n Learn, and 2 concerts/dance parties) is $85.00-general / $70-seniors, students & fixed income.

Registration and payment MUST be received BY Friday, February 11th for this discount.

On-line payment with paypal and downloadable registration forms are available at www.nahalatshalom.org Klick on "KlezmerQuerque 2011"

For detailed information about class times, prices, tickets & registration contact:
Beth Cohen, KlezmerQuerque Koordinator (505)243-6276 cohenedmunds@netzero.net
Web: www.nahalatshalom.org Klick on "KlezmerQuerque 2011"

All events take place at Congregation Nahalat Shalom, 3606 Rio Grande Blvd. NW (between Candelaria & Griegos) in Albuquerque, NM 87107

Debbie Friedman z"l

It is truly with sadness that JMWC reports the loss of Debbie Friedman. Debbie Friedman's funeral will take place Tuesday January 11 at 11am at Temple Beth Sholom in Santa Ana, California. She died Sunday morning, January 9, 2011. Her music lightened the hearts and lifted the spirits of hundreds of thousands of people throughout the world, and brought so many Jews closer to God. I had the privilege of being Debbie's biographer for Encyclopedia Judaica. She was definitely one of the most, if not the most, spiritual person I've ever encountered, even in engaging in everyday conversation. Those that knew her or her music, will surely miss this tremendous musician and Jewish composer.

Attached is a link to a service that was held for her in New York at the Manhattan JCC. http://www.ustream.tv/channel/service-at-the-jcc

http://www.debbiefriedman.com/Home/Healing

http://www.jta.org/news/article/2011/01/10/2742484/a-song-for-debbie-friedman

New CD "Zing Mayn Harts"

Klezmer Shpil Orchestra by Berl Portnoy
New CD "Zing Mayn Harts"
Berl Portnoy Klezmer Shpil Orchestra (Israel)
tel.: 0522-312-945 Israel
klezmershpil@gmail.com

Breslov Bar Band at Jewish Music Cafe

JMC Presents
Breslov Bar Band
and
The d'Safi Takht Ensemble
this Sat Jan 8th Doors 8:15pm $12

The Jewish Music Cafe
401 9th Street
Park Slope Brooklyn NY
More info and Directions at
http://www.jewishmusiccafe.com

Jacob Mendelson at viewing of Cantor's Tale

Date: Friday, January 28, 2010
Time: 6PM - Erev Shabbat Services; 7:15PM - Film Viewing
Price: Free, open to the community
Contact: Cantor Rebecca Garfein,
cantorgarfein@crsnyc.org
RSVP: requested
Telephone Number: 646-454-3030
Website: www.rodephsholom.org
Artist/Speaker: Cantor Jacob Mendelson
Event Description: Cantor Jacob Mendelson will lend his magnificent voice and neshama (soul) to Erev Shabbat Services, followed by a viewing of his award winning film, A Cantor's Tale, and a question and answer session. On Saturday, following the 10AM Shabbat Service, Cantor Mendelson will demonstrate and discuss the styles of Cantors from the Golden Age, introduce his family zemirot (songs) to the congregation, and explain that the DNA for hazzanut is contained therein.

Posted by jmwc at 10:51 AM

"Jewish Artists for Haiti Benefit Concert:Relief/Rebuilding"

"Spread the word: Big hearted event to raise effective funds for Haitian relief- best Jewish musicians in NY from Y Love to Frank London, Basya Schechter to Breslov Bar Band, Neshama Carlebach to the endless Ayn Sof Arkestra. Contribute!".

Event: Jewish Artists for Haiti Benefit Concert: Relief/Rebuilding
Start Time: Monday, January 10 at 7:00pm
End Time: Monday, January 10 at 10:00pm
Location: Stephen Wise Free Synagogue