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The Maxwell Street Klezmer Band
Saturday, Sept. 29, 2007 - 8 p.m.
Eaton Chapel, Beloit College
Beloit, Wisconsin

Whether one is familiar with klezmer music or has only recently been exposed to it, a klezmer concert opens doors to a world rich with energy and emotion. The Maxwell Street Klezmer Band retains the soul of the “Old World,” while adding spirit and humor to its contemporary interpretations of traditional klezmer music.  Their performances are expressive, entertaining, and uplifting.  This 11-piece band plays various klezmer styles with big band instrumentation.  Its program includes boisterous dance tunes, folk melodies, and colorful comic songs that emerged from old Yiddish theatre.

The history of the distinctive klezmer style of music traces back to the early Middle Ages and the klezmorim — Eastern European Jewish folk musicians who played for celebrations.  They drew upon the lyrical, haunting melodies from Poland, Russia, Romania, and other countries to create a unique and evocative sound.  In klezmer instrumentation, one can hear the melodies of the Chassidim (Jews whose prayers incorporated melody and ecstatic dance), as well as Yiddish folk traditions.

Klezmer music was brought to the United States by Continental Jewish immigrants who fled from poverty and persecution and poured into the “goldene medineh” (the golden land) from the 1880s until the 1920s.  In the U.S., the klezmorim found jazz and other music styles; they were influenced by these sounds and in turn shared their musical heritage with American artists.  But after the destruction of many Jewish communities in Europe during the early 20th century, the soulful sound of authentic klezmer music was nearly lost and forgotten.

Decades later, in the late 1970s, young Jewish musicians in America began to rediscover and reclaim the music of their Eastern European forebears.  The Maxwell Street Klezmer Band was founded in 1983; since then, it has performed throughout the United States and Europe.  In 1998, the band appeared at New York’s Carnegie Hall and Damrosch Park at Lincoln Center.

Related Link:

The Maxwell Street Klezmer Band home page

Tickets: General admission- $15 | Senior citizens - $10
Others under 18 years - $5 | Beloit College Students – Free