2022 in Review

Here's a reposting of my newsletter:

 

Hey!

So there *is some small dance space at the concert at Ken Gilman's house on New Year's Day, so come on out and shake it off for a great new start!

Here's the…

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Winter Update: Tarjama in Burque

Hey! 

So there *is some small dance space at the concert at Ken Gilman's house on New Year's Day, so come on out and shake it off for a great new start! 

Here's the FB Event LINK if you're into…

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Many Paths to Peace

Music Instigatrix at it again, Janis Kelly, the energetic music director at Columbine Conference Center pulled together many of the top Colorado world artists for a concert in March.  I played myself on Sholeh Mani, Nabin and Bijay, Dr. Michael…

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How to Learn to Learn by Ear

Back in the day, you just listened to live teachers to learn, over and over.  

They would create loops of melodies and ad lib variations for you to take turns repeating until you got it, then move on. I still…

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Testimonials for Taksim Class

"Together, you presented a very fine experience in the study of taxim, (solo improvisation), both technically from a dancer’s perspective, and musically from a musician’s perspective, in this case a musician who genuinely enjoys “partnering” with dancers during the taxim…

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What is Tarab?

"Tarab to me is when you are expecting something beautiful and you get something even more beautiful.  

Improv is where it's at for me.  

It's about what the moment feels like instead of what it looks like.  

I'm lucky because…

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Athena Project Artist in Residence

I got hired to be an Artist in Residence for two days at Swallow Hill through Athena Project. I was partnered with a visual artist Charlotte and I created a sound track for a time lapse film she created of…

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Hadgaba

I played with Hadgaba for about a year. A bunch of young Israeli and Jewish 20 somethings, I wasn't a great fit, but we did have a lot of fun.  I got us to open for Daniel Khan, and KlezFest…

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Catrene Malshey's band Zuruna

Catrene put together an Arabic band in about 2004 with Lisa Rooney, a ney player, then held a revolving door policy for all the Denver based Arabic music loving musicians for two decades.  I played off and on with Zuruna…

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Jurjuna Turkish Ensemble

Kanunist Kylie Halihal put together a Turkish band and we played for several community events.  I got us a gig at the Colorado Early Music Fall Festival in the Boulder Library and that was a highlight.  

Klezmerize with Ben Cohen and Florin Alaxandrescue

This was the later incarnation of the Klezmerize grouping -- after I had moved to Lakewood from Evergreen.  I wasn't associated with a synagogue anymore, but still hungered to play Klez and Balkan material.  Ben Cohen also wanted a band…

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Klezmerize at Beth Evergreen -- the original band

I started my first great Klezmer band at Beth Evergreen in 2002 under the gleefully supportive Rabbi Eliot Baskin, D.Min.  He would lead hora dance lines out one door of the sanctuary and around to enter the other door and…

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