Maxwell Street Klezmer Band
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Maxwell Street Klezmer Band Tours Lithuania
The Maxwell Street Klezmer Band (www.klezmerband.com) just returned from a very successful tour to Lithuania, including the Tolerance Center fo the Vilna Gaon State Museum in Vilnius, under the auspices of the United States Embassy in Vilnius.
The Maxwell Street Klezmer Band has been one of the Midwest's premiere Klezmer Bands for over twenty years, performing regionally, nationally and worldwide. Maxwell Street has been central to the revival of traditional Jewish music in the Midwest. It is one of the true Klezmer "Big Bands," recalling the rich, jazzy sounds of the Swing Era.
Bronitsky and Associates previously toured the Fernando Cellicion Traditional Zuni Dancers to Lithuania in 2002.
I
have discovered a fantastic group of musicians that are as
professional and talented as they are personable and delightful to
work with! Best of all, they are ACCESSIBLE: to paraphrase the rye
bread commercial, You don't have to be Jewish to love Maxwell
Street!
As a German critic writes: "Maxwell Street Klezmer Band is perched in the forefront of the Neo-Klezmer Movement. Yiddish Swing, Jazz and Early 20th Century pop music are funneled through Gypsy Big Band arrangements-- consider music inspired by Fiddler on the Roof performed with Squirrel Nut Zippers' grandiose yet loose technique."
What is "Klezmer music"? Klezmer is the folk music of the Jews of Eastern Europe. Klezmer is a Hebrew word, a collusion of the words "kley" (vessel) and "zemer" (melody) that referred to musical instruments in ancient times. It became colloquially attached to Jewish folk musicians sometime in the Middle Ages.
As Jewish immigrants came to America's shores, they brought this style with them, but quickly they adapted it to American tastes and instrumentation. The result? An organic fusion of everything from Russian dances, Chassidic drinking songs and Hungarian gypsy bravado blended with Dixieland, Jazz and Swing, with a Yiddishe Rhumba thrown in! A Maxwell Street klezmer concert is a true variety show.
The Maxwell Street Klezmer Band has been the Midwest's premiere Klezmer Band since its founding in 1983. They have performed throughout the United States and abroad and have recorded 5 CDs in the US and one in Europe, as well as appearing on movie and television soundtracks in the US and Italy.
Some of their tour highlights include performances in The Barbican (London), Carnegie Hall (New York City), and nine overseas tours to Germany, Austria, England, the Netherlands, Norway and, most recently, Lithuania.
In
2000, Maxwell Street violinist Alex Koffman received a high honor
when distinguished Chicago composer Ilya Levenson composed a
classical composition for him: "Klezmer Rhapsody For Violin”.
Audio Samples
Maxwell Street Klezmer Band has posted a number of audio samples at http://www.klezmerband.com/parties_demo.html. Depending on the speed of your internet connection, it may take a while for the .MP3 files to load. Enjoy!
Video Samples
Maxwell Street Klezmer Band has posted a number of videos of past performances at http://www.klezmerband.com/scrapbook.html. Enjoy!
Reviews and Testimonials
Maxwell Street Klezmer Band has received rave reviews from all over the world! You can read them at http://www.klezmerband.com/raves.html
If you would like more information about Maxwell Street Klezmer Band or would like to book them please click here.
