The Klezmer Kings will be the first to admit there are few challengers to its throne nearby.
The band came together in 2000 to play at the bat mitzvah of guitarist and mandolin player Dana Mandel's daughter. Mandel could find no local Klezmer groups for the party, so he formed his own.
After its first show, Mandel and accordion player Joe Lonsky, clarinetist Robert Kalweit, bassist Adam Mandel, drummer Bill King, trombonist Ryan Zawel and vocalist Karen Lonsky have continued performing traditional Klezmer tunes and folk songs at weddings and other private events.
“There are different songs for different parts of the ceremony and the reception,” Dana said.
Klezmer music traces its origins to Eastern Europe. Dana Mandel notes that many Klezmer musicians were killed in the Holocaust, and the style has cycled between revivals and dormant periods ever since.
The music itself describes minor keys and syncopated dance rhythms.
“It's got to be upbeat with the people on their feet,” Mandel said. “If people get up and dance we feed off their energy.”
Staff writer David Wilcox can be reached at 253-5311 ext. 245 or david.wilcox@lee.net
Five questions with Dana Mandel, guitarist and mandolin player of Klezmer Kings:
Q: What is your favorite song to play?
A: “Bei Mir Bist Du Shein” by Sholom Secunda.
Q: What is the first concert you remember seeing?
A: I grew up with (Klezmer music). At a family wedding or a bar or bat mitzvah, there was always a Klezmer band.
Q: What is your favorite album?
A: There's a local Klezmer group from Norwich and its CD's called “Beyond the Borscht Belt.”
Q: What are the band's biggest influences?
A: When we first started playing we didn't understand what we were playing. Joel Rubin, a famous Klezmer clarinetist, really got us going on the right track.
Q: Where have you always wanted to play but never gotten a chance to?
A: The Morgan Opera House, actually.
If you go
Who: Klezmer Kings
When: 7:30 p.m. Saturday, June 14
Where: Morgan Opera House, Aurora
Cost: Free
Info: Call 364-8402
After its first show, Mandel and accordion player Joe Lonsky, clarinetist Robert Kalweit, bassist Adam Mandel, drummer Bill King, trombonist Ryan Zawel and vocalist Karen Lonsky have continued performing traditional Klezmer tunes and folk songs at weddings and other private events.
“There are different songs for different parts of the ceremony and the reception,” Dana said.
Klezmer music traces its origins to Eastern Europe. Dana Mandel notes that many Klezmer musicians were killed in the Holocaust, and the style has cycled between revivals and dormant periods ever since.
The music itself describes minor keys and syncopated dance rhythms.
“It's got to be upbeat with the people on their feet,” Mandel said. “If people get up and dance we feed off their energy.”
Staff writer David Wilcox can be reached at 253-5311 ext. 245 or david.wilcox@lee.net
Five questions with Dana Mandel, guitarist and mandolin player of Klezmer Kings:
Q: What is your favorite song to play?
A: “Bei Mir Bist Du Shein” by Sholom Secunda.
Q: What is the first concert you remember seeing?
A: I grew up with (Klezmer music). At a family wedding or a bar or bat mitzvah, there was always a Klezmer band.
Q: What is your favorite album?
A: There's a local Klezmer group from Norwich and its CD's called “Beyond the Borscht Belt.”
Q: What are the band's biggest influences?
A: When we first started playing we didn't understand what we were playing. Joel Rubin, a famous Klezmer clarinetist, really got us going on the right track.
Q: Where have you always wanted to play but never gotten a chance to?
A: The Morgan Opera House, actually.
If you go
Who: Klezmer Kings
When: 7:30 p.m. Saturday, June 14
Where: Morgan Opera House, Aurora
Cost: Free
Info: Call 364-8402
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