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Klezmer film and concert opens San Diego Jewish Arts Festival
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Photo by Leo Sorel / Courtesy of Yale Strom
It was a great day in Manhattan on October 12, 2007. The worldwide revival of klezmer, the lively Jewish “soul music,” was celebrated by over 100 musicians and Yiddish theatre personalities—including Theodore Bikel, Don Byron, and members of the Klezmatics and the Klezmer Conservatory Band—assembling in front of the historic Eldridge Street Synagogue to have their picture taken. They trumpeted the occasion with a march through the Lower East Side and a weekend of all-star concerts. When klezmer violinist-scholar Yale Strom told me his master plan over dinner a few weeks earlier, I was so enthusiastic I booked flight and lodging at once.
The world premiere of Strom’s short documentary film, A Great Day on Eldridge Street, will open the 16th annual Lipinsky Family San Diego Jewish Arts Festival on May 27. The evening will continue with an all-acoustic concert featuring Yale and his band Hot P’Stromi, and singer Elizabeth Schwartz, at Congregation Beth El in La Jolla.
Among the festival events—presented by San Diego Repertory Theatre—are Malashock Dance’s newest work Shadow of Mercy, based on the music of Leonard Cohen (May 30, at the Lyceum in Horton Plaza); and Klezmer Summit with Russian clarinet virtuoso Alexander Gourevitch, and Gustavo Bulgach and Klezmer Juice of Argentina (June 22, at the Lyceum). For festival information, contact San Diego Rep at 619-544-1000; for the closing event, a staged reading of My Name is Asher Lev, a new adaptation of the brilliant novel by Chaim Potok (June 29-30), contact North Coast Rep in Solana Beach at 858-481-1055.
And speaking of klezmer: June 9 is Mickey Katz's 100th birthday. Joel Grey's father was a treasured friend of mine. He passed on in 1985, but I think of him all the time. Dig out the kosher vinyl and as Mickey would say, have a Matzoh Ball.
More from Jordan:
Compelling ‘Accomplices’ reprised at Odyssey Theatre
OC Performing Arts slates music series for 2009–2010
New York Tour: soloNOVA Arts Festival
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