“The
Internationally Renowned Klezmer Band…The Band That Played
for the 2009 Presidential Inaugural Event…As Featured and
Heard Simulcast on NPR”
One band with
two names and one set of top flight musicians building on one
beloved musical tradition. Why two names? It depends on the
venue we are playing. When we play private affairs, weddings
and Bar Mitzvahs, we go by our traditional name, “The Kol
Haruach Klezmer Band”. However, when we play public shows,
concerts or galas, we go by our English name, “The New
Klezmer Quintet”.
How It All
Began
It all began
with an impromptu performance at a party: In July of 2000 at
the Lansing, Michigan Jazz festival Brian Choper, an
internationally known drummer, was asked at a moments notice,
to sit in for a Go-go bands drummer who fell ill on stage.
Brian had never played Go-go music before- the performance was
for 40,000 people! Because he did such a great job the
volunteers invited him to their “after” party for the
Festival. Brian asked if he could bring a few friends. He
brought 12 musicians with him.
The hosting
hotel had provided a DJ to set the mood for the party. Brian
approached the management with the idea of having his group of
musician friends play instead. If you fill a room with
musicians they will want to play together. After some
discussion, they agreed, and some instruments were brought up
from the storage trucks. As they were unloading instruments,
an unaware night manger tried to stop them from playing,
claiming they would make too much noise for the other hotel
guests. Short a few pieces they played anyway. Brian ended up
with only a snare and a bass drum. Jazz, Rock, show tunes and
Folk music were played. They played for hours, late into the
night. It was a true jam session at the highest level. When it
was all over, this band of players, feeling the chemistry
while they played, decided they were interested in forming a
band.
The next
morning sleepy, but enthusiastic, they discussed the jam
session of the night before over coffee. The players
discovered they had enough chemistry to make a band really
work. Brian was unsure about the logistics of this
arrangement, as these players were from all over the country,
not local to any one town. However, it was agreed that if
Brian took the lead and organized the shows, everyone would
commit to the dates.
And with that
“The Kol Haruach Orchestra” came to be. The Kol Haruach
Orchestra, soon after changed their name to The Kol Haruach
Klezmer Band. Kol Haruach means “Voice of the Spirit”, the
irrepressible spirit and verve of any party.
Growing With
Our Music
Over the next
year or so, the band played private affairs, all the while
rehearsing to fine-tune their distinctive sound. Their sound
was developing into a high level fusion of Klezmer and
American jazz with Rock. The talent of the band was clear; the
question was how to write or arrange the music to allow the
players to shine . While they worked with Israeli, Klezmer,
Jazz, Latin and Ladino music, they also wanted to experiment
and compose their own repertoire. They began setting
themselves apart from other bands by allowing band members to
solo within the songs.
Our
Albums
Kol Haruach
released its’ first album in 2004, aptly named In the
Beginning- Bereshit. It is a compilation of standards and new
works written and arranged by the band. The album is typical
of the band’s events and concerts, mixing improvisational
jazz styling with Klezmer. Kol Haruach’s talents show best
in its live shows so a second live recording was released in
2006, Kol Haruach – Live in Concert. This distinctive
recording shows off the band’s Klezmer chops with Swing
classics mixed in for a bit of fun. Both recordings were
received with critical acclaim by critics and fans.
Introducing
The New Klezmer Quintet
The band’s
popularity blossomed after the release of this second album.
With this popularity came inquiries from public venues to do
concerts. However, there was some concern by booking agents
over the name of the band. Would the masses remember the name
“Kol Haruach Klezmer Band”. To simplify matters for
concert venues, the band came up with a new, distinctive
American name, specifically to perform as a concert band, and
“The New Klezmer Quintet” was born.
As one
example of their success, the band, playing as The New Klezmer
Quintet, performed three sold out concerts at Strathmore Hall
and Strathmore Mansion in December 2007. Some 500 patrons were
turned away. The band realized that their music, billed as the
New Klezmer Quintet, was reaching mainstream America, an
audience beyond their typical Klezmer fan base.
From this
tour, the band recorded a live album, entitled, “The New
Klezmer Quintet – Unexpected Joy”.
This compilation includes an energetic mix of Klezmer, Ladino,
Swing and Jazz. Tracks from this popular album have been
placed on rotation on many radio stations and have been
simulcast on NPR.
Two Bands,
Two Different Performance Venues
The New
Klezmer Quintet continues to innovate, writing works for the
stage, while collaborating with guest musicians, singers and
songwriters. The New Klezmer Quintet is a project, not just an
ensemble. New compositions are in rehearsal and production all
the time. Each performance is a separate experience from the
previous, each tailored for the occasion of the show. One of
the fundamental goals of this band is to create music for the
stage that might not be appropriate to play for a party where
the crowd wants to hear more familiar standards.
In contrast,
the Kol Haruach band is oriented to the party scene, where
rather than having a defined program, we play party music, get
out and interact with the crowd, take requests from guests,
and “party down”. Our job at the party is to get the crowd
up and dancing.
Both bands
have earned their reputation for their music and their
entertainment value. Regardless of the event, these bands are
proven to be engaging and entertaining, one for the party, the
other for the concert. In either case, they will be shows to
remember and will make you shine.
