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October 2, 2006
Klezmer madness

BY Nancy Condon

“This is definitely not your grandmother’s klezmer!” said Bob McKay, Schwartz Center director, describing the opener of the Schwartz Center’s 2006–07 Flora Glenn Candler Concert Series.

David Krakauer’s Klezmer Madness! kicks off the series on Oct. 6 at 8 p.m., with their unique brand of clarinet (tickets $48; discount category members $36; Emory students $5).

Krakauer, known for his mastery of myriad styles, including classical chamber music, Eastern European Jewish klezmer music—a musical tradition that parallels Hasidic and Ashkenazic Judaism and draws on devotional traditions extending back to biblical times—and avant-garde improvisation, lies beyond “cross-over.” As one of the foremost musicians of the vital new wave of klezmer, he and his Klezmer Madness! ensemble fuse traditional Yiddish klezmer music with rock, jazz, classical, funk and hip-hop, appealing to those who remember yesterday’s klezmer as well as today’s world music enthusiasts.

The performance of Krakauer’s Klezmer Madness! at Joe’s Pub in New York City was picked as one of the best performances of the year in AllAboutJazz-New York’s Best of 2005. Recent Klezmer Madness! performances include a sold-out concert at New York’s Symphony Space; a series at Merkin Concert Hall in New York; numerous European tours; and appearances at several international jazz festivals, including Austria’s Saalfeiden Festival.

For more information, call 404-727-5050 or visit www.arts.emory.edu.

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