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| | Email this article • Print this article | Music festival's got fusion
Fest accent on musicians who reinterpret Jewish music
by Aaron Leibel, Arts Editor
Mix klezmer and jazz. Throw in some hip-hop, rock, funk, blues and pop. Add a pinch of classical and cantorial.
That's the recipe for next month's 10th annual Washington Jewish Music Festival, which will focus on "modern fusion in Jewish music," says Lili Kalish Gersch, festival director.
The opening night will feature the Andy Statman Trio, pioneers in klezmer-bluegrass fusion who have "opened the way for a new generation of musicians to explore innovative ways to interpret Jewish music," says Gersch.
This theme continues throughout the June 4-11 programs, "with a new generation of musicians exploring the ways that Jewish music can be interpreted and reinterpreted," says the director of literary, music and dance programs at the Washington DC Jewish Community Center.
"It's an arc running through the festival," Gersch says.
Pointing to Statman (June 4, 8 p.m.), she says, "What is exciting is his creativity and virtuosity across many instruments and many styles. His music has energy and spirituality to it unmatched in the Jewish musical world."
Miri Ben-Ari, the hip-hop violinist, will close the festival on June 11 at 8 p.m. A Grammy Award winner, she studied under Isaac Stern.
Ben-Ari, who has collaborated with hip-hop artists like Alicia Keys and Kanye West, brings a blend of American jazz, hip-hop and classical violin music, which gives her works "a special and unique sound," says Gersch, who hopes this show will draw some audience members from outside the Jewish community.
In between the opening and closing, the festival head points to three shows of special interest. The Sway Machinery (June 7, 7:30 p.m.) mixes cantorial and liturgical music, Afro-beats, blues, pop and horns, incorporating Yiddish, Hebrew and Aramaic.
"It's a great example of the exciting new directions Jewish music is taking," she says.
Feinsmith Quartet (June 9, 7:30 p.m.) has created classical music, inspired by the Kaballah and Jewish mystical text.
"For fans of classical music, this is as good as it gets," according to the festival director. "The original compositions are exquisite, deeply mystical and intellectually challenging."
Finally, there is the Family Shabbat Service & Dinner with ShirLaLa (June 5, 6 p.m.), "a favorite among parents and kids," Gersch says. The program will feature a tot Shabbat-style program with songs, stories and dancing, followed by a traditional kosher dinner (reservations required).
"We wanted to create an event to bring the families of the community together to build connections with each other and create a love of, and excitement about, Judaism through music," she says.
Due to the economic downturn, festival organizers have tried to keep prices down, she stresses.
"Sales have been great, and we are expecting many of the shows to sell out," Gersch says.
10th Annual Washington Jewish Music Festival scheduled
Unless otherwise noted, events for the Washington Jewish Music Festival will be held at the Aaron & Cecile Goldman Theater, Washington DC Jewish Community Center
Tuesday, June 2, 8 p.m.
Pre-Festival Special Event: Ivri Lider, Israeli singer-songwriter, will perform, 9:30 Club, 815 V St., N.W.
Tickets: $35
Thursday, June 4, 8 p.m.
Opening Night: Andy Statman Trio fuses bluegrass and American roots music, jazz, klezmer and chasidic music, following by 10th anniversary party
Tickets: $30, $25 for members, seniors and under 25
Friday, June 5, 6 p.m.
Family Shabbat Service and Dinner, ShirLaLa, Shira Kline will sing songs for children and families. Ina and Jack Kay Community Hall, WDCJCC, Dinner: The Tauber Foundation Gymnasium, WDCJCC
Tickets: Service at 6 p.m. is free. Best for ages 2-6. Dinner at 6:45 p.m.
Tickets: $15, $7.50 for children (advance reservations required)
Saturday, June 6, 9 p.m.
The Kinsey Sicks combines a cappella singing, satire and drag.
Tickets: $30, $25 for members, seniors and under 25
Sunday, June 7, 10:30 a.m.
Screening of Overture to Glory (Der Vilner Babeles), the story of a Vilna cantor seduced by the fame and fortune of the opera, will be introduced by Rabbi Max Ticktin, professor of Judaic studies and Hebrew language at George Washington University. There will be a bagel brunch.
Tickets: $10, $9 for JCC members, seniors and under 25
Sunday, June 7, 7:30 p.m.
The Sway Machinery, combines cantorial and liturgical traditions with Afro-beats, blues, pop and horns, with lyrics in Hebrew, Yiddish and Aramaic.
Tickets: $12, $10 for JCC members, seniors and under 25
Monday, June 8, 8 p.m.
Pitom, a band featuring Silver Spring native Yoshie Fruchter, plays a hybrid of Jewish jazz, punk, country and metal.
Tickets: $18, $15 for JCC members, seniors and under 25
Tuesday, June 9, 7:30 p.m.
Feinsmith Quartet performs music that evokes Jewish mysticism and interpretations of the Torah.
Tickets: $18, $15 for JCC members, seniors and under 25
Wednesday, June 10, 8 p.m.
Electro Morocco, combines retro rock and Middle Eastern folk with warped electro, followed by DJ Balagan. Station 9, 1438 U St., N.W.
Tickets: $12, $10 for JCC members, seniors and under 25
Thursday, June 11, 8 p.m.
Closing Night, Miri Ben-Ari: The Hip-Hop violinist who grew up in Israel fuses her classic training with American jazz and hip-hop.
Tickets: $30, $25 for JCC members, seniors and under 25
Free workshops:
Sunday, June 7, 6 p.m. Israeli dance
Monday, June 8, 6 p.m. Radical Jewish culture with Pitom
Wednesday, June 10, 6 p.m. Jewish healing through music
Advance tickets are available at www.wjmf.org, or at the door 30 minutes prior to the event. Preregister for workshops at same Web site.
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