AUSTIN, TX – The Austin Klezmer Bund is accepting new recruits! Rehearsals are underway in preparation for HONK TX 2018. The Austin Klezmer Bund is a community folk music ensemble that plays events and festivals in central Texas, including HONK TX 2018. Please contact the bund if you are interested in HONK-ing with us in the upcoming event. Inquiries may be made at mazeltovkocktailhour (at) gmail (dot) com. All levels of musicianship are welcome!
[October 13, 2017] – Mazel Tov Kocktail Hour (MTKH), an 8-year-old traditional Jewish music band in Austin, is releasing its first album, entitled Shoyn Avek Der Nekhtn, which translates as “Yesterday Is Dead And Gone.” The 10-piece ensemble presents an exciting and energetic take on Yiddish music, some of which has never been recorded in the modern era. The album was produced by renowned klezmer expert Sherry Mayrent of the Mayrent Institute and was recorded here in Austin by famed artist and engineer Brian Beattie. It features Austin-based jazz historian Rabbi Neil Blumofe on vocals.
Shoyn Avek der Nekhtn evokes the cultural experience of the diaspora of Eastern European Jewry from a traditionalist perspective. It is an intensely-instrumental album, punctuated by poignant lyrics sung in Yiddish, English, & Russian languages, with a flow of music that seems at times dreamy, yearning, mournful and celebratory all at the same time.
MTKH is as much a research project as it is a live band. Through its desire to pay homage to the hundreds-years-old traditions of the music, members of MTKH have studied klezmer performance from internationally prominent klezmer traditions. The band has also sought to convey that knowledge to local musicians through free workshops and a community klezmer band, the Austin Klezmer Bund Orchestra, which performs at the HONK-TX street band festival. MTKH instrumentation is unique, featuring accordion, flute, trumpet, clarinet, cimbalom, trombone, fiddle, and tuba. The star of the band is its Belarusian vocalist, Svetlana Saenger, who sings in multiple languages.
To follow the event on facebook, click here:
The Austin Klezmer Bund Orchestra plays Honk Texas 2017! AKBO will plays around 6pm Friday evening at Tom’s on South Congress, around 6 pm Saturday night at East Arbor near Spiderhouse Cafe, and for the Parade Sunday at noon on the east side. Please visit http://honktx.org/ for more details as they develop. HONK TX is a free community street music festival of (mostly marching) bands. All ages are welcome. Please pm Austin Klezmer Bund if you are interested in learning traditional Jewish folk music, i.e. Klezmer and Yiddish folk songs. AKBO is an all-levels-of-musicianship community ensemble.
http://honktx.org/2017-festival/schedule/
AUSTIN, TX – Austin-based non profit the Traditional Jewish Music Foundation is seeking sponsors to support free school classes and special learning events through the Austin Klezmer Bund. The TJMF is a recently founded non-profit organization with a focus on supporting folk musicians through the production of learning events at Schools, libraries, and community spaces. If you would like to support TJMF and the Austin Klezmer Bund, please contact mazeltovkocktailhour@gmail.com.
Mazel Tov Kocktail Hour and the Austin Klezmer Bund Orchestra will host a traditional Klezmer Jam Wednesday July 29th, from 8-10pm at the Butterfly bar in Austin Texas. We will be playing mostly from Klezmer for Everyone volumes 1 & 2, by Sherry Mayrent. The Jam is open to intermediate through professional players, and will be open to acoustic instrument only.
Sherry Mayrent, of the Mayrent Institute for Yiddish Culture.
Mazel Tov Kocktail Hour and Austiner Klezmer Bund are excited to present a 2-day workshop with Sherry Mayrent of the Mayrent Institute for Yiddish Culture. Mazel Tov Kocktail Hour has been learning from and playing with Sherry for several years and now want to share her passion for and wealth of knowledge in klezmer music with the Austin community.
Laaaaaadies & Menshn! It’s time for Mazel Tov Kocktail Hour with Di Austiner Klezmer Bund Orchestra TODAY as part of HONK TEXAS in the park – it’s FREE! Enjoy and have a restful Shabbes in the sun while listening to Trad Klez.
Saturday, March 28th: Adams-Hemphill Park at the Spiderhouse Ballroom
“Family Stage” (Hemphill @ 30th) 1-2 PM
Trudy’s Back Wall – 4:30-5 PM
aaaaaand tomorrow, Sunday, Mazel Tov Kocktail Hour with Di Austiner Klezmer Bund Orchestra will be performing with a special guest at Pan-American Park (E 3rd at Chicon), during the big wrapup extravaganza of 25 HONK bands playing in quick succession! See the HONK!TX page for more details! http://www.honktx.org/
The Austin Klezmer Bund open meeting is next on Sunday February 15th, 12:30-2:30.
The Austin Klezmer Bund Orchestra is rehearsing Sunday nights, and is an intermediate through professional skill level community ensemble.
Email us for more information!
Please contact AKB through facebook or our Googlegroup if interested in joining.