This article appeared in the March 5,
2004 Jewish Advocate.
Avant sounds from the past
By Susie Davidson
Advocate Correspondent
One of our more enjoyable traditions,
Klezmer music, which came to America in the early 19th century, has enjoyed
a revival over the past two decades. But the jazzy folk genre has also branched
and innovated into the globally popular New Jewish Music, which goes far beyond
the classic Greek, Eastern and Central European sweeping clarinet and frenzied
stringed sequences.
Next Wednesday, March 10, Khevre, a
youthful, cutting-edge Klezmer fusion band at the forefront of the New Jewish
scene, will perform at the Zeitgeist Gallery in Cambridge. Khevre, which means
Òfriends,Ó or Òcommunity,Ó combines elements of jazz, Latin, Middle Eastern,
American, and European music. Founded and directed by New England Conservatory
student Michael Winograd on clarinet, the band also features Dana Sandler on
bass clarinet, Eylem Basaldi on vocals, Carmen Staaf on violin, Jorge Roader on
piano and accordion, and Richie Barshay on drums.
Winograd, 21, a staff member at the
WorkmanÕs Circle in Brookline, is learning Yiddish while completing a
bachelorÕs degree in improvisation at the NEC. A Manhasset, Long Island native,
his family attended synagogue on a regular basis, which gave him early exposure
to Jewish musical themes. He studied classical and jazz at Herricks High School, but it
wasnÕt until after he had immersed himself in ManhattanÕs avant garde music
scene, which included the Klezmatics, studied with a Yiddish songwriter, and
ultimately put together a band of eclectic NEC musicians that he realized his
musical comfort zone.
Klezmatics clarinetist Matt Darriau helped
Winograd expand exploration into classic Klezmer as well as traditional sounds
from Bulgaria, Macedonia and other Eastern European countries. A pop music
aficionado at heart, he readily incorporated old klezmer recordings and studied
Naftule Brandwein, Dave Tarras and other genre masters, finally deciding to
migrate to the NEC to study with Eastern European Jewish music professor and
Klezmer Conservatory Band founder Hankus Netsky.
Winograd, who also directs the 25-piece
Balkan brass band SmackinÕ the Brass and plays with the Turkish ensemble
Sohbet, the French Cabaret quartet Gitanes, and the jazz trio Go Figure!, has
performed with groups including Frank LondonÕs Klezmer Brass All-Stars, the
Klezmatics, members of Brave Old World, and the Klezmer Conservatory Band.
Khevre has appeared on myriad radio programs and played at venues including
Tonic and the Richmond County Baseball Stadium in New York, the National Yiddish
Book Center in Amherst and the Regent Theater in Arlington.
ÒMany klezmer fusion bands draw from outside
influences like jazz and ethnic music, where we derive from the authentic Jewish
aspects,Ó said Winograd. ÒKhevre
is redefining the edges of New Yiddish music,Ó said critic Ari Davidow, who
hosts and reviews CDs and concerts on www.klezmershack.com, regarded
as the largest and most popular klezmer website on the net.
The groupÕs musically diverse members span the globe in
style. Miami native Sandler, who is completing her
masterÕs degree in Jazz Vocal Performance at the NEC, holds a bachelorÕs degree
in Studio Music and Jazz Vocal Performance from the University of Miami.
Basaldi, a member of the Boston Philharmonic as well as classical Arabic music
group Sharq and Turkish ensemble Sohbet, is finishing her masters degree in
improvisation at the NEC. Staaf, who studied in Cuba with Andres Alen and
Joaquin Pozo and has played with Klezmer Conservatory Band members, is
completing a bachelorÕs degree in Jazz Piano at NEC. Peruvian native Roeder
toured with the countryÕs first student jazz orchestra and is completing a
degree in Jazz Bass at NEC. Percussionist Barshay, who founded the Latin jazz
band Insight, performs jazz and world music throughout the US, and is currently
attending the NEC while appearing with Herbie HancockÕs "Gershwin's
World" tour.
At the Zeitgeist, the group will continue
to hone the edge of modern Yiddish music as it melds both genre and timespan.
"These musicians have truly brought this music up to date," said
Netsky.
Khevre appears Wednesday, March 10 at 7
p.m. at the Zeitgeist Gallery, 1353 Cambridge St., Inman Square, Cambridge.
Suggested donation is $5. For information on Khevre, please e-mail michaelwinograd@hotmail.com. For
information on the Zeitgeist Gallery, please visit www.zeitgeist-gallery.org,
or call 617-876-6060.