KlezKamp קלעזקעמפּ Podcast
Couldn't make it to Living Tradition's "KlezKamp: The Yiddish Folk Arts Program?" Here's your chance to tune in for a small taste of what you've been missing.
If you have been to KlezKamp, here's your chance to hear again some of the great performances and classes you enjoyed over the last 23 KlezKamps.
New podcasts will be added regularly every Monday. Check back regularly for more highlights of KlezKamps past and to look forward to KlezKamps to come.
Adrienne Cooper -- Two Yiddish Songs of Food
(45 downloads)Download this episode (7 min)
KlezKamp veteran and Yiddish singer Adrienne Cooper sings two songs on a favorite Yiddish theme: food.
Recorded at the 2005 KlezKamp Staff Concert. She is accompanied by Zalmen Mlotek.
Posted by Klez Kamp Staff at 11:12 AM | MAKE A COMMENT
Monday, May 12, 2008Jeff Warschauer & Deb Strauss - "Dem Fideles Neshome" (The Fidl's Soul)
(20 downloads)Download this episode (7 min)
A performance by Jeff Warschauer and Deb Strauss of Jeff's new setting of Shike Driz's poem "Dem Fideles Neshome" (The Fidl's Soul) from the KlezKamp 2005 Staff Concert.
It features Jeff on vocals and guitar and Deb on the fidl. As they do in all of their performances, they translate the songs beautifully so that we all can enjoy not just the lovely music but also the poetry of the lyrics.
www.klezmerduo.com
Posted by Klez Kamp Staff at 10:07 AM | MAKE A COMMENT
Monday, May 05, 2008KlezMas - Panel Discussion with Klezmorim and their mothers
(56 downloads)Download this episode (57 min)
Photo of panel by Bob Blacksberg
A great panel discussion featuring leading figures in the Klezmer scene and their mothers, all of whom have been active KlezKampers:
Singer and artist Susan Leviton, with her mother Lillian (z"l) and her daughter Yona;
Yiddish Scholar and Forverts editor Itzik Gottesman, with his mother singer and composer Beyle Schaechter-Gottesman;
Musician and composer Zalmen Mlotek, with his mother, Yiddish song archivist Chana Mlotek;
Trumpeter and singer Susan Watts, with her mother, klezmer drummer Elaine Hoffman Watts; and
KlezKamp Founder and musician Henry Sapoznik, with his mother Pirl Shteynberg-Sapoznik.
This lively discussion and opportunity for "kvelling" about their children by the KlezMas (embarassing for some) took place as an evening program during the 2004 KlezKamp whose theme was "Doyres"/ Generations.
Posted by Klez Kamp Staff at 9:43 AM | MAKE A COMMENT
Monday, May 05, 2008Sanne Moricke and Merlin Shepherd - Accordion & Clarinet - Staff Concert 2004
(30 downloads)Download this episode (4 min)
A lovely duet by clarinetist Merlin Shepherd and accordionist Sanne Moricke at KlezKamp 2004's Staff Concert. Merlin (from England) and Sanne (from Germany) are two-thirds (along with bassist Heiko Lehmann) of one of Europe's foremost klezmer bands "Sukke."
http://www.sukke.de/
Posted by Klez Kamp Staff at 9:27 AM | MAKE A COMMENT
Monday, Apr 28, 2008Intergenerational Klezmer Jazz Advanced Orchestra - led by Pete Sokolow at 2004 KlezKamp "Doyres" Concert
(73 downloads)Download this episode (28 min)
Photo of Paul Pincus & Ken Maltz
The theme of 2004's KlezKamp was "Doyres"- Generations. One of the evening concerts was the "Doyres Concert" where three intergenerational groups of KlezKamp students and faculty, led by Pete Sokolow, German Goldenshteyn, z"l, and Elaine & Susan Watts performed.
This is the performance of Pete Sokolow's "Intergenerational Klezmer Jazz Advanced Orchestra." The set begins with what Pete calls "comparative doinas" with each player taking a solo turn (the first taken by the sublime Paul Pincus, z"l). It then turns to full-on rollicking klezmer by the entire orchestra.
The players, representing musicians in their early twenties to those in their eighties, are:
Pete Sokolow (piano, arrangements, orchestra leader)
Paul Pincus (alto sax, clarinet)
Ken Maltz (clarinet)
Cookie Segelstein (fidl)
Alex Kontorovich (tenor sax)
Michael Winograd (alto sax)
Dan Blacksberg (trombone)
Susan Watts (trumpet)
Matt Temkin (drums)
Jim Guttmann (bass)
Posted by Klez Kamp Staff at 9:39 AM | MAKE A COMMENT
Friday, Apr 18, 2008Sherry Mayrent, Pete Rushefsky & Madeline Solomon in Concert on Radio KlezKamp 2006
(71 downloads)Download this episode (33 min)
A 2006 concert by Living Traditions' Associate Director for KlezKamp and clarinetist Sherry Mayrent, Pete Rushefsky on the tsimbl and Madeline Solomon on the flute.
This concert/jam session was broadcast and recorded by Radio KlezKamp, the in-house radio station run by Mitch Mernick. Radio KlezKamp adds greatly to KlezKamp by giving a performance platform to KlezKampers of all musical levels and by recording these performances for posterity.
Posted by Klez Kamp Staff at 10:49 AM | MAKE A COMMENT
Friday, Apr 18, 2008Y.Y. Jacobson, Editor of the Algemeiner Journal, speaks at KlezKamp 2006
(50 downloads)Download this episode (64 min)
A fascinating discussion of the theme of KlezKamp 2006, "Hasidish Yiddish," by the vibrant young editor of the Algemeiner Journal, the major Yiddish weekly of the Hasidic community, Yosef Yitzkhok Jacobson.
Jacobson gave a bilingual Yiddish-English talk before a large group of rapt KlezKampers tracing his own recent history as the new editor of his newspaper and his effort to incorporate and, indeed, introduce its readers to the richness of Yiddish literature.
It is the Algemeiner Journal that is reprinting great works by writers, such as Peretz and Mendele (as well as new writing by important contemporary Yiddish cultural figures from the secular world) in its pages and on its website. He encouraged KlezKampers to contribute to the literary and political dialogues which are found in its pages and, by his presence and by his words, did much to build the bridge between worlds of Yiddish lovers that need not be estranged.
Y.Y. Jacobson is a charming and charismatic man who has the will, the position and the ability to be a truly transformative, historic figure in the world of Yiddish. We who heard him speak could not help but be inspired to work together with him in service of our mutual love of Yiddish language and all parts of its culture. We were honored to have Y.Y. Jacobson at KlezKamp and look forward to working together with him well into the future.
www.algemeiner.com
Posted by Klez Kamp Staff at 8:51 AM | MAKE A COMMENT
Thursday, Apr 17, 2008Michael Wex sings "The Kosher Part of Me"
(64 downloads)Download this episode (5 min)
A highlight of recent Staff Concerts has been the fine MCing of the inimitable Michael Wex. Wex, whose lectures on Yiddish language and Yiddish life are perennial KlezKamp highlights, is the author of the best-selling "Born to Kvetch" and "Just Say Nu!". Both books were based on material largely presented and refined at KlezKamp through the years.
Here, however, we see the inner country-singer of Michael Wex, singing his unique rendition of his old-country/western composition, "The Kosher Part of Me" at the 2004 Staff Concert.
He is backed by Pete Sokolow on piano, David Licht on drums, and Mark Rubin on bass.
http://www.the-yiddish-world-of-michael-wex.com/
Posted by Klez Kamp Staff at 10:04 AM | MAKE A COMMENT
Thursday, Apr 17, 2008The Youngers of Zion - Sapoznik/Rubin/Segelstein
(62 downloads)Download this episode (5 min)
Live recording from the 2004 KlezKamp Staff concert of the klezmer supergroup "The Youngers of Zion," featuring Henry Sapoznik on the tenor guitar, Cookie Segelstein on the fidl, and Mark Rubin on the bass. The Youngers' traditional klezmer sound is unmatched.
Their CD, "The Protocols," is available on the Living Tradition website: http://www.livingtraditions.org/docs/store.htm
Posted by Klez Kamp Staff at 10:02 AM | MAKE A COMMENT
Thursday, Apr 17, 2008Yosl Kurland sings "Moyshe Kapoyer"
(52 downloads)Download this episode (4 min)
Yosl Kurland, a long-time KlezKamper and staff member, sang his own charming Yiddish composition about Moyshe Kapoyer, the legendary Jew who gets everything backwards, at the 2007 Staff Concert. He is accompanied by Pete Sokolow.
Yosl is the long-time leader of Western Massachusetts' klezmer band "The Wholesale Klezmer Band" and his wife, Peggy Davis, and their children Aaron Kurland-Davis and Kayla Kurland-Davis, all integral members of the KlezKamp community, live on their farm called "Gan Eydn."
http://www.crocker.com/~ganeydn/
Posted by Klez Kamp Staff at 8:54 AM | MAKE A COMMENT
Tuesday, Apr 15, 2008Ray Musiker: A Living Tradition - "New Old Bulgar"
(69 downloads)Download this episode (3 min)
The first cut from the "Ray Musiker: A Living Tradition" CD, the second in Living Tradition's "A Living Tradition" CD series.
In "New Old Bulgar" Ray Musiker, on clarinet, is backed by an all-star band of KlezKamp faculty musicians in an arrangement by Pete Sokolow:
Aaron Alexander: drums
Jim Guttmann: bass
Alex Kontorovich: alto sax and clarinet
Ken Maltz: tenor sax and clarinet
Henry Sapoznik: guitar
Peter Sokolow: piano
Engineered by King Django
As a scion of the prestigious Musiker family, clarinetist Ray Musiker has been central to some of the most important moments in 20th century Yiddish-American music. In the CD, accompanied by a handpicked ensemble of today's finest klezmer players, Ray Musiker offers a thrilling tour of the music he learned and the music he created.
For more information about the CD, go to www.raymusiker.com
To buy the CD and to see other Living Traditions recordings, go to http://www.livingtraditions.org/docs/store.htm
A Radio KlezKamp 2007 interview with Ray and his wife Julie was posted on this site on December 30, 2007. see
http://klezkamp.mypodcast.com/2007/12/Interview_with_Ray_and_Julie_Musiker-68484.html
Posted by Klez Kamp Staff at 9:29 AM | MAKE A COMMENT
Monday, Apr 07, 2008Andy Statman interviewed by Henry Sapoznik
(89 downloads)Download this episode (53 min)
A driving force behind the neo-klezmer movement since its inception in the early 1980s, Andy Statman remains an extraordinary paradox: a musician devoted to musical tradition who also continues to break new artistic ground. A celebrated mandolin player in the "Newgrass" movement of the 1970s, Andy Statman has reinvigorated yet another realm of traditional musicmaking - klezmer - with his own particular blend of virtuosity, and originality.
Acknowledged among the most authoritative of klezmer revivalists, Andy Statman was the pupil of master clarinetist Dave Tarras, who bequeathed his instruments to Statman when he died.
In this interview conducted before a packed audience at KlezKamp 2006, KlezKamp founder Henry Sapoznik interviews Statman, his fellow pioneer of the klezmer revival.
Posted by Klez Kamp Staff at 3:51 PM | MAKE A COMMENT
Monday, Apr 07, 2008Interview with Paul Pincus
(64 downloads)Download this episode (10 min)
A 2004 interview of the late great klezmer clarinet master, Paul Pincus, by Radio KlezKamp macher Mitch Mernick.
Paul talks about his recording, "Music for Happy Occasions," his musical colleagues and his extraordinary career playing Yiddish music.
You may hear Paul Pincus playing on an earlier podcast posted March 10, 2008, available on this site,
http://klezkamp.mypodcast.com/2008/03/Paul_Pincus_plays_Ikh_hob_dir_tsufil_lib-89612.html
Posted by Klez Kamp Staff at 11:39 AM | MAKE A COMMENT
Monday, Apr 07, 2008Josh Horowitz & Cookie Segelstein duet
(75 downloads)Download this episode (2 min)
Accordionist Josh Horowitz & violinist Cookie Segelstein play a virtuoso duet. Josh and Cookie are two-thirds of the ensemble "Veretski Pass" and are integral members of the band "Budowitz."
This performance was recorded live for Radio KlezKamp at KlezKamp 20 in 2004.
Posted by Klez Kamp Staff at 10:51 AM | MAKE A COMMENT
Wednesday, Mar 26, 2008Sid Beckerman Dance Set - KlezKamp 1998
(144 downloads)Download this episode (8 min)
From 1998 KlezKamp, a recording of a dance set led by the late Sid Beckerman z"l, one of the great klezmer clarinetists from the heydey of American Yiddish music. Sid embodied the principle of KlezKamp. He was one of the links from his generation of klezmorim to the new generations of players who came to learn at KlezKamp. Sid often played long sets of dance music with members of the KlezKamp staff at the evening dance parties.
Sid's father, Shloymke Beckerman, was one of the great klezmorim of his generation. Living Traditions will be issuing a rare recording of Shloymke Beckerman later this year.
This set features Sid (clarinet), along with Hankus Netsky (piano), Jim Guttmann (bass), David Licht (drums) and Henry Sapoznik (banjo).
Posted by Klez Kamp Staff at 11:28 AM | MAKE A COMMENT
Wednesday, Mar 19, 2008Andy Statman & Mark Rubin play Bluegrass
(272 downloads)Download this episode (3 min)
The 2007 KlezKamp staff concert had a special treat. Master klezmer Andy Statman took a short break from his magnificent klezmer playing to wear his other hat as a bluegrass mandolinist. In fact, Andy was nominated for a Grammy this year for Best Bluegrass Instrumental for the piece he plays here, "Rawhide", from his album "East Flatbush Blues".
Andy is joined by another maven of many musical modes, bassist Mark Rubin.
Posted by Klez Kamp Staff at 1:10 PM | MAKE A COMMENT
Wednesday, Mar 19, 2008Michael Winograd - 2007 KlezKamp Staff Concert
(97 downloads)Download this episode (7 min)
Clarinetist Michael Winograd started attending KlezKamp as a child. He is now a member of the KlezKamp faculty, one of a new generation of KlezKamp staff that has grown up in the program.
Here, recorded at the 2007 Staff Concert, Michael is joined by Deb Strauss on the violin, Pete Rushefsky on the tsimbl, and Heiko Lehmann on the bass.
Posted by Klez Kamp Staff at 10:06 AM | MAKE A COMMENT
Monday, Mar 10, 2008Paul Pincus plays "Ikh hob dir tsufil lib"
(131 downloads)Download this episode (3 min)
This episode, from the 2004 KlezKamp Staff Concert, features the late, great clarinetist Paul Pincus playing "Ikh hob dir tsufil lib," a famous Yiddish tune written by his friend Alexander Olshanetsky. He is accompanied by Pete Sokolow on the piano.
Posted by Klez Kamp Staff at 1:13 PM | MAKE A COMMENT
Monday, Mar 03, 2008Susan Leviton Sings Folksongs - Radio KlezKamp 2005
(130 downloads)Download this episode (8 min)
This podcast is a mini-concert by Susan Leviton for Radio KlezKamp at KK 2005.
Susan Leviton, a KlezKamper from year 3, has taught papercutting, lettering arts, and a variety of vocal classes over the years. Although she frequently performs with instrumental musicians, she gravitates to the a capella styles of the folk genre.
"Katarina Moloditsa" is a clever macaronic song mixing Hebrew, Yiddish, and Ukrainian. "Es is nokh faran aza blum," published in the Mlotek's songbook “Songs of Generations,” is a beloved song from inter-war Poland, recalled by Yosl Mlotek, a"h, and was learned by Susan at his request.
Posted by Klez Kamp Staff at 9:51 AM | MAKE A COMMENT
Friday, Feb 29, 2008Manger's Megile - Avram Mlotek, Henry Carrey - KK05
(109 downloads)Download this episode (6 min)
During KlezKamp 2005, whose theme was Gut-Yomtev KlezKamp, a group of KlezKamp staff, faculty and students presented a staged reading of Itzik Manger's Megile, his unique poetic setting of the Purim story, with music by Dov Seltzer. The original production starred Peysakh'ke Burstein and Lillian Lux and was seen all over the world, including a successful run on Broadway.
This podcast contains 2 highlights of the program. The first is Avram Mlotek's lovely rendition of "Di Elegiye fun Fastrigose" (Fastigose's Elegy), followed by Henry Carrey's wonderful performance of "S'a Mechaye" (What a Pleasure!) in the character of King Ahashverus. They are accompanied by Zalmen Mlotek.
Both Avram and Henry are second-generation Yiddish performers who have been a part of KlezKamp for many years. Lillian Lux, z"l, was also a revered member of the KlezKamp faculty.
Posted by Klez Kamp Staff at 10:35 AM | MAKE A COMMENT
Tuesday, Feb 19, 2008Pearl Sapoznik, Pete Sokolow & German Goldenshteyn -- KlezKamp 2005
(128 downloads)Download this episode (15 min)
Pearl (Pirl) Sapoznik sings Russian and Yiddish songs, accompanied by Pete Sokolow on piano and German Goldenshteyn on clarinet, at KlezKamp 2005.
Pirl, the mother of KlezKamp's founder Henry Sapoznik, has been a fixture of KlezKamp since its beginning. Lucky KlezKampers hear her sing folksongs at informal KlezKamp cabaret and impromptu lobby performances.
Here, Pirl is accompanied by two of KlezKamp's master teachers, Pete Sokolow and German Goldenshteyn. Make sure to listen for German's wonderful clarinet solo at the end of the podcast.
Posted by Klez Kamp Staff at 2:06 PM | MAKE A COMMENT
Tuesday, Feb 19, 2008Tsimbl Trio - Rushefsky, Reid, Beytelman at KlezKamp 2005
(130 downloads)Download this episode (4 min)
A rare recording of a tsimbl (hammer dulcimer) ensemble!
KlezKamp tsimbl teacher Pete Rushefsky joins two of his students, Roger Reid and Mariana Beytelman, in this tsimbl trio performed live for Radio KlezKamp in 2005.
As Pete says in the introduction, this is likely the first recording of a tsimbl ensemble since the 1920s.
Posted by Klez Kamp Staff at 2:04 PM | MAKE A COMMENT
Wednesday, Feb 06, 2008Interview with dancer/choreographer Felix Fibich by Rachel Birtha Eitches- KK 2005
(105 downloads)Download this episode (51 min)
Felix Fibich is KlezKamp's most senior faculty member. His first memories of Jewish dance came from his early experiences at synagogue with his father, who was from the chasidic Modzitcher rebbe's court. At 22, Felix escaped from the Warsaw Ghetto into Russian territory. In Bialystok, he met up with his own dance teacher from Warsaw, Judith Berg, whom he married. After moving to the US, together they brought the world of traditional Yiddish dance gestures to a new audience. Felix is an accomplished actor and choreographer with many Broadway, movie and television credits.
This interview, conducted at KlezKamp 2005 by radio journalist Rachel Birtha Eitches, traces Felix's remarkable life and career. Felix, a nonagenarian, continues to teach dance and choreograph student dances at KlezKamp. Biz 120!
Rachel Birtha Eitches, who has a Ph.D. in Intercultural Communication, recently retired from an international multimedia journalism career with the Voice of America. A member of Adas Israel Congregation in Washington, DC, she attended KlezKamp in 2005 and 2007 with her twin daughters, Elyse, who played trumpet in the KlezKamp Youth Orchestra, and Naomi, who joined her mother in the class that performed Felix Fibich's latest Jewish dance choreography in the KlezKamp student show.
Posted by Klez Kamp Staff at 1:39 PM | MAKE A COMMENT
Thursday, Jan 31, 2008Performance by German Goldenshteyn z"l at 2004 KlezKamp Staff Concert
(152 downloads)Download this episode (20 min)
Performance by the late great Moldovan klezmer clarinetist German Goldenshteyn, z"l, at the 2004 KlezKamp Staff Concert.
German is accompanied by an all-star band of KlezKamp staff members: Josh Horowitz (accordion); Mark Rubin (tuba); Alex Kontorovich (sax); Jeff Warschauer (guitar); Cookie Segelstein (fidl); Deb Strauss (fidl)
These tunes are recorded on "German Goldenshteyn: A Living Tradition," the first in Living Traditions' "A Living Tradition" CD series featuring new recordings by klezmer masters. We also have a book of transcriptions of German's melodies called "From the Repertoire of German Goldenshteyn."
To buy these and other Living Traditions CDs and books, go to our online store at http://www.livingtraditions.org/docs/store.htm.
Posted by Klez Kamp Staff at 10:12 AM | MAKE A COMMENT
Tuesday, Jan 22, 2008Interview & performance with Adrianne Greenbaum
(173 downloads)Download this episode (22 min)
Klezmer flutist and multi-instrumentalist Adrianne Greenbaum teaches through her fusion of historical sensibilities, dance, theory, old recordings and texts. Focusing on the revival of the flute in klezmer, she performs and teaches throughout the US, presenting master classes at universities and flute conferences and is also on the faculties of Klezkanada and Klezmerquerque.
Posted by Klez Kamp Staff at 12:31 PM | MAKE A COMMENT
Monday, Jan 21, 2008Interview with Naomi & Mike Cohen
(89 downloads)Download this episode (21 min)
Naomi and Mike Cohen are both staff instructors at KlezKamp. Naomi discusses her study of Yiddish Art Song. Mike speaks eloquently about the overall experience of KlezKamp and in particular his participation on the Elaine Hoffman Watts CD recording session to which he runs off mid-interview!
Posted by Klez Kamp Staff at 9:37 PM | MAKE A COMMENT
Monday, Jan 21, 2008Interview with Beyle Schaechter-Gottesman
(108 downloads)Download this episode (29 min)
2005 NEA National Heritage Fellow Beyle Schaechter-Gottesman was born in Vienna, Austria, but she was raised in pre-war Chernovitz, Romania, one of the centers of Yiddish intellectual culture. She survived the Holocaust in the ghetto in Chernovitz and came to the United States in 1951. Active as a teacher and songwriter, she also began to write poetry and gained a reputation as one of America's premier Yiddish poets. Many of her songs cover a wide range of subjects from subway musicians, to personal reminiscences, to descriptions of street life in her hometown, the Bronx. The renaissance of klezmer music in the United States allowed her large repertoire of traditional and original material to be performed by many artists.
She's joined today by her granddaughter Esther who speaks on her life growing up in a Yiddish household.
(photo by Alan Lankin)
Posted by Klez Kamp Staff at 12:25 PM | MAKE A COMMENT
Monday, Dec 31, 2007Interview with Elaine Hoffman Watts
(179 downloads)Download this episode (22 min)
(Photo courtesy Mark Rubin)
The irrepressable doyen of the drum kit joins Mitch for a lively running commentary on her CD "I Remember Klezmer," stories of growing up in a klezmer household and the anticipation surrounding her latest CD, recorded that week at KlezKamp 2007.
Editor's note: ANYONE remotely interested in playing klezmer music should listen to this interview and take heed of her sage words of wisdom.
Posted by Klez Kamp Staff at 10:14 PM | MAKE A COMMENT
Sunday, Dec 30, 2007Interview with Judith Bro Pinhasik
(125 downloads)Download this episode (30 min)
Associate Director for Development Judith Bro Pinhasik joined Living Traditions in July 2006 with twelve years' experience in the fundraising field, focusing on health, education, environment, and the arts. For the past ten years, she has also been the pro bono fundraiser and member of the Jewish People's Philharmonic Chorus, which performs works entirely in Yiddish. An actor for fifteen years, Judy is also a fluent Yiddish speaker; her son, Joey, is learning Yiddish culture in the Workmen's Circle Midtown Shule and in KlezKamp.
Today she joins Mitch in a conversation in the opportunity and challenges of keeping Living Traditions, the parent organization of KlezKamp, solvent and vibrant, continuing its mission into the next century. Starting with finding a new home!
Posted by Klez Kamp Staff at 2:33 PM | MAKE A COMMENT
Sunday, Dec 30, 2007Interview with Ray and Julie Musiker
(129 downloads)Download this episode (31 min)
(Photo courtesy Alan Lankin)
Throughout his career as a professional musician, Ray Musiker has worked to preserve klezmer. Born in 1927 in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, Ray is the fourth generation in a family of klezmer musicians. As a child, Ray learned to play klezmer dance music at Jewish weddings. His parents, immigrants to America from Northern Russia, taught him about the wealth of Eastern European Jewish music. Ray plays saxophone, clarinet and flute. He taught music for 32 years, and recorded and performed extensively, in America and internationally.
Today Ray talks with Mitch about his recently released CD on Living Traditions, recorded right down the hall at last years KlezKamp. Entitled "Ray Musiker: A Living Tradition" it features Musiker's original and classic material and backed by a stellar staff ensemble of Pete Sokolow (piano), Alex Kontorovich (alto sax), Ken Maltz (tenor sax), Jim Guttmann (bass), Aaron Alexander (drums), and Henry Sapoznik (guitar).
As a special treat today, he is joined by his lovely wife, Julie who speaks on the home life of a famous klezmer.
Posted by Klez Kamp Staff at 1:49 PM | 1 comments
Sunday, Dec 30, 2007KlezKamp Youth Orchestra
(138 downloads)Download this episode (18 min)
Led by one time Kamper, now turned instructor, Michael Winograd, members of our most favorite Kamper ensemble take time out to talk with Mitch prior to their concert.
Posted by Klez Kamp Staff at 1:23 PM | MAKE A COMMENT
Sunday, Dec 30, 2007The Famed "Philadelphia Shers"
(128 downloads)Download this episode (16 min)
(Photo courtesy Alan Lankin)
Performed live, warts and all, for the benefit of the dancers at this year's KlezKamp. The Elaine Hoffman-Watts ensemble, featuring Susan Watts on trumpet. Mike Cohen, Dan Blacksburg, Adrian Banner, Henry Sapoznik, Ken Maltz and Mark Rubin round out the band.
Playing for the dancers, this marks the first time in many years that the 88 bar dance tune has been performed outside of its native Philadelphia.
(See video of the actual dance at the Klez Kamp Blog site!)
A studio recording of this and many other tunes was made by this very ensemble during the week and should be available at least by next year's event.
"Shall we do it again?"
Elaine Hoffman Watts is a third-generation klezmer musician, scion of the great Philadelphia Hoffman family of klezmorim. The first woman percussionist to be accepted at Curtis Institute, from which she graduated in 1954, Watts has performed and taught for more than forty years, working in symphonies, theaters, and schools. Despite her skills and family heritage, when she was young Ms. Watts was seldom given opportunities to perform by klezmer bands, from the 1940s on: they didn't want to employ a girl, even Jacob Hoffman's daughter. Ms. Watts began performing klezmer actively again with her daughter Susan Watts. She is a 2007 recipient of the National Endowment for the Arts Heritage Fellowship Award.
Susan Watts represents the youngest generation of a Klezmer dynasty that reaches back to the Jewish Ukraine of the 19th century, beginning with her great grandfather, bandleader Joseph Hoffman. She works and records with a range of talented musicians including her mother Elaine Hoffman Watts, Frank London and the Klezmer Brass All-Stars, Mikveh, anad the KlezDispensers.
Posted by Klez Kamp Staff at 2:57 AM | MAKE A COMMENT
Saturday, Dec 29, 2007Interview with Pete and Vera Sokolow
(142 downloads)Download this episode (37 min)
(Photo courtesy Alan Lankin)
Peter Sokolow has had a career in Jewish music, commercial music, and traditional jazz that has spanned over fifty years; he has done more than 10,000 jobs in that time. He has performed with many famous klezmer and jazz players, toured Europe and the U.S. several times, orchestrated three Jewish shows and more than thirty recordings, and appeared in or arranged for several TV "specials"and documentary films. He is the author or co-author of books on klezmer and articles about the klezmer scene, and has lectured extensively. He has taught at KlezKamp since its inception.
Today piano man and band leader non pareil Pete Sokolow talks about his life as a Jewish dance band musician and working with the greats of Yiddish music, accompanied by his lovely wife Vera. Recorded in the lobby of the Hudson Valley Resort during this years KlezKamp by the amiable Mitch.
Posted by Klez Kamp Staff at 3:01 AM | MAKE A COMMENT
Thursday, Dec 27, 2007Staff Dance Band
(181 downloads)Download this episode (13 min)
Cookie Segelstein, violin
Joshua Horowitz, accordion
Mike Cohen, clarinet
Henry Sapoznik, tenor banjo
Mark Rubin, string bass
From the KlezKamp staff dance band set. A selection of Moldavian Jewish dance tunes from the repertoires of German Goldenshteyn and Belf.
Posted by Klez Kamp Staff at 3:03 AM | 1 comments
