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Klezmer in the Park 2011 took place on 11th September
'Klezmer in the Park' on Sunday showed the exuberance of the Jewish people in what has become the greatest free annual Jewish cultural event in London. Six bands thrilled the crowd of over 6000 with Yiddish Twist; Simcha sounds; Sephardi melodies and party tunes. When klezmer beats hit the air, young and old were on their feet enjoying line and circle dances of Eastern Europe.
for images please visit flickr
The Bandstand Programme included (click on names for more details)
Max Reinhardt
DJ, broadcaster and Festival curator introduced the UK’s leading Klezmer bands and guest celebrities.
New Bands that performed in 2011 were:
1.00pm Yiddish Twist Orchestra
1.50pm Shir
2.40pm The Matzoh Boys
3.30pm Los Desterrados
4.20PM She'Koyokh Klezmer Ensemble
All afternoon
- Dance callers Ilana Cravitz and Guy Schalom of Hopkele productions, lead you in circle and line dances
- Displays about Jewish Culture activities in London
- Exhibition 'The contribution made by British Jews to the British Armed Forces' from the Jewish Military Museum
- Free activities for children with Stephen Melzack: 1.20pm to 2.10 pm Stephen will teach children a song in the activity tent to sing on the bandstand at 2.20pm
- Paul Tkachenko will lead some klezmorim around the site on stilts! Klezmer on stilts
- CDs, music books and Jewish articles for sale
- Kosher food for sale provided by Hendon Bagels and Orli Cafe
Children’s Activities:
Bring your children (and supervise them) for Children’s activities in the Culture tent.
During the afternoon: Stephen Melzack will teach children a song to sing on the bandstand: 1.20pm to 2.10pm Stephen will teach the song in the activity tent and at 2.20pm the children will sing it on the bandstand
All afternoon: Activities by the Jewish Museum, London, and JCC for London. Also balloon figures and face painting presented by Jewish News and Media Group
Max is one of the regular presenters on that voyage into uncharted waters that is Radio 3's Late Junction. He has been known to crop up on the BBC World Service intermittently, also as music consultant/co-scriptwriter on Radio 2's South African music series Freedom Sounds, and has featured in a Radio 4 documentary on his theatre piece 'Ketubah'.
Max is musical director/composer at the 'Oily Cart'. Established in 1981, Oily Cart works entirely with children, many with complex disabilities, and often in special schools.
"Where Oily Cart has gone before, mainstream theatre for adults often follows a couple of years later." (Lyn Gardner, in The Guardian.)
In summer 2009 Max curated the huge Late Night Radio Event at Tate Britain and he's currently working on a commission for the 2010 Spitalfields Festival.
With Rita Ray, he's put together a host of innovative club nights in the UK and internationally like The Shrine and before that The Mambo Inn, and with Rita shares Artistic Directorship of several music festivals including Celebrating Sanctuary.
His creative partnership with Rita extends to performance of music and the spoken word. Rita and Max act as curators and consultants with a number of venues and other festivals as well as tour internationally as the band 'Shrine Synchro System'.
Max also curates and performs as musician and DJ at 'Radio Gagarin', a regular London–based club night come mini-festival.
Yiddish Twist Orchestra(1.00pm)
Twist meets shvitz
The Yiddish Twist Orchestra, an allstar band under the guidance of trumpeter Lemez Lovas (Oi Va Voi) and twang guitarist Ben Mandelson (3 Mustaphas 3, Triaboliques), pays homage to the genius and paranoia of Bergman, the anonymous beatnik funkateer who got the slums - and salons - on both sides of the water dancing to that pounding Yiddish beat.
photographer: Paul Allain
http://www.yiddishtwist.com
Klezmer, Israeli, Ladino, Mizrahi, Yiddish, Simcha
Shir is the “complete” Jewish music group playing Klezmer, Israeli, Yiddish, Sephardi, Mizrachi, Ladino and Simcha instrumental and vocal music.
The group has been performing quality Jewish music at concerts, charity events and simchas around the UK and Europe for 14 years.
They have performed regularly in Spain, at festivals in Madrid, Barcelona, Santander and were awarded the Best Yiddish Song Performance Prize at the International Jewish Music Festival 2010 in Amsterdam.
"The difference between a good Simcha and a great Simcha is Shir!!!"
http://www.shirmusic.co.uk
Adding soul to any Simcha
http://www.matzohboys.com
Sephardic flamenco
Los Desterrados – ‘The Exiles’ – weave soul, jazz, flamenco and folk influences into the ancient Mediterranean music of the Sephardic Jews, creating a contemporary sound that appeals to a wide range of music fans.
The songs themselves may be ancient, but they’re as relevant and powerful as they were 500 years ago, with their tales of love, faith, war and family life.
Los Desterrados were nominated for Best Group in the Songlines Music Awards 2009, which led to festival appearances at Womad, Queen's (Belfast), Canterbury and Brighton (Sacred Music).
‘… well selected songs, passionately performed, this mix of traditional sounds cut with a jazzy tinge will appeal to Gipsy Kings and Radio Tarifa lovers.’ Songlines 'Cheerfully eclectic…Never a dull moment, and done with infectious enthusiasm' Evening Standard
http://www.losdesterrados.com
She'Koyokh Klezmer Ensemble (4.20pm)
Award-winning klezmer with Balkan infusions
Established in 2001 with the support of a JMI Millennium Award, She’Koyokh’s evolution has spanned busking on London’s streets to performing on the global stage, winning the International Jewish Music Festival competition in the Netherlands in 2008. Renowned for “musicianship, precision and general joie de vivre” (The Herald), this innovative band is inspired by the confluence of Eastern Europe’s musical cultures and traditions performing an exceptionally diverse repertoire of exhilarating and soulful, Jewish, Gypsy and Balkan music, original compositions and exhilarating solos.
"Inspirational" The Guardian
http://www.shekoyokh.co.uk
Rumplestiltstein (In the breaks)
Rumpelstiltstein are the klezmer alter-egos of Brighton-based stilt walking band The Top Bananas. They have travelled the world with their towering performances and will create a strolling shtetl-style simcha ...
Ilana and Guy lead Yiddish circle and line dances and help you dance your socks off to the best UK klezmer bands. No Yiddish dance experience necessary - they'll show you how! Hopkele Productions Ltd holds regular Jewish dance events with a twist - the phenomenon known as the KLEZMER KEILIDH.
‘They got the crowd going’ The Jewish Chronicle
Stephen is an international award winning Singer/Songwriter and Performer.
One of his projects is “Two Candles Burn" - an exciting concept in new and original songs composed and performed by him aimed at introducing children of all ages to the Jewish Festivals. Available on CD they are being used by Schools throughout the country to help teach Judaism.
His composition “This Land” has won two song writing competitions-
an International Jewish song competition held in Canada beating over 300 entries worldwide and the “Song for Israel 2008”
Stephen regularly performs in cabaret, concerts and workshops.
Visit www.twocandles.com
The Jewish Military Museum’s mobile exhibition:
The contribution of Jews to the Armed Forces
The Jewish Military Museum’s mobile exhibition provides a fascinating snapshot of the of the significant
contribution made by British Jewish men and women to the British Armed Services over some 250 years.
Founded in 1996 by the Association of Jewish Ex-Servicemen and Women, the Jewish Military Museum celebrates and honours British Jewish men and
women who have served in the Armed Forces of the Crown over the past 250 years.
The Collection contains hundreds of items including medals, photographs, letters, memorabilia, uniforms and
military documents. Fascinating in their own right, these artefacts serve to illuminate a wealth if intensely personal stories of courage, heroism and loss.
Visit Jewish Military Museum, Shield House, Harmony Way, London NW4 2BZ.
Tel: 020 8201 5656. www.thejmm.co.uk
Click here to see the 2010 programme.