I'll leave it to someone with a great gift for taxonomy than mine to try to categorize what the Real Vocal String Quartet does.
The all-female group, led by Turtle Island String Quartet veteran Irene Sazer, certainly has its classical bonafides, with plenty of conservatory and symphony experience among the members. But listen to them for very long, and you'll hear echoes of folk music traditions such as bluegrass and klezmer. The way they keep a beat reveals solid jazz influences. The largely wordless singing that accompanies the masterful violin, viola and cello work has a strong whiff of East European folk chorals.
Blend it all together, and you've got an invigorating mix of honest, organic music that's about what you'd expect from a group whose history of side gigs ranges from Ella Fitzgerald to Bauhaus.
The group celebrates the released of it self-titled debut album Thursday with an 8 p.m. show at Berkeley's Freight & Salvage Coffeehouse. Tickets are $19.50 at the door.
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