Chanukah Klezmer Extravaganza, Philadelphia, PA, Dec 17
Chanukah Klezmer Extravaganza:
benefit concert and Chanukah party for
the Jewish Dialogue Group and
Congregation Kol Tzedek, West Philly's new synagogue
The Rotunda, 4012 Walnut St., Philadelphia, PA
Saturday, December 17, 7:00pm to 9:30pm
For more information: Visit www.jewishdialogue.org,
e-mail The Jewish Dialogue Group, or call 215-266-1218.
The event features Shtreiml, which mixes traditional
Eastern European Jewish music with jazz, blues, and gypsy
music. There will also be:
- Storytelling by Student Rabbi Lauren Grabelle Herrmann
- Poetry
- Other performers TBA
- Art
- Chanukah bazaar with crafts, books, and music
- Thousands of calories of delicious deserts
Shtreiml -- Founded by harmonica innovator, Jason
Rosenblatt, and named for the traditional fur hat worn by
Chassidic Jews, Shtreiml blends elements of klezmer, gypsy
music and jazz to create a vibrant sound that is at once
Eastern European Folk Music and Down-Home Blues. Shtreiml's
debut album, Harmonica Galitzianer, nominated for a Montreal
Independent Music Award for Best World Music Album 2003,
showcases Rosenblatt's unique approach to playing the
10-hole diatonic harmonica or "blues harp." One of a handful
of people in the world who can play the diatonic harmonica
chromatically, Rosenblatt uses recently devised techniques
pioneered by harmonica master Howard Levy, to fit the
instrument generally associated with the blues into an
Eastern European context. Along with Rosenblatt the group
members include trombonist Rachel Lemisch, one of the
leading figures in klezmer brass revival, founding member
Thierry Arsenault on drums and Montreal jam band scene
mainstay Adam Stotland on bass. Frequent guests include, the
stellar voice and incomparable stage presence of Yiddish
folksong revivalist, Abigail Rosenblatt, along with founding
member and internationally acclaimed hip-hop klezmer guru
Josh (SoCalled) Dolgin. Shtreiml is at present working with
virtuoso Turkish musician Ismail Hakki Fencioglu on a
project which explores the connections between Turkish and
Eastern-European Jewish music. The group has performed at
festivals, concerts, clubs and private functions in Canada,
Europe and the U.S.
The proceeds will benefit two organizations:
- Congregation Kol Tzedek (www.kol-tzedek.org), West Philly’s brand new synagogue
- The Jewish Dialogue Group (www.jewishdialogue.org), a non-partisan grassroots organization founded in Philadelphia in 2001 to foster constructive dialogue within Jewish communities about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict