Golem and Eastern Blok

Saturday, September 3, 2011

9:30 pm

Martyrs’

3855 N. Lincoln Avenue

Chicago, IL

Ages: 21+

Tickets:  $15

Pairing explores past proximity of Slavic and Jewish cultures and similar evolutions in the diaspora.  Contrary to popular belief, Golem is neither a towering Jewish Frankenstein who defended the Jews of 17th Century Prague, nor a creature from “Lord of the Rings.” Golem is a 6 piece Eastern European folk-punk band.

Fronted by Annette Ezekiel Kogan – singer, accordionist, and 5-foot powerhouse; and vocalist, tambourine player, crazy-man Aaron Diskin; violin virtuoso Jeremy Brown; trombonist extraordinaire Curtis Hasselbring; elegant upright bassist Taylor Bergren-Chrisman, and unstoppable drummer Tim Monaghan, Golem’s sound evokes wisps of old-world elegance filtered through the successes and disappointments of new-world dreams.

Spending nights in Lower East Side immigrant-owned bagel shops and summers in Eastern Europe, Annette collects Jewish, Gypsy, and Slavic folk songs, and, with Golem, rewrites, adds, edits, and rearranges them along the way.  These are the songs to which Eastern European grandparents danced over a century ago, and now Golem has its unwrinkled fans moshing to the same pulsing beats.

EASTERN BLOK features classical guitar virtuoso GORAN IVANOVIC, joined by DOUG ROSENBERG on woodwinds, MATTHEW ULERY on upright bass, and MICHAEL CASKEY on percussion.

Eastern Blok is an acclaimed ensemble combining traditional Balkan folk music with Latin, flamenco, klezmer, classical influences and American jazz.  Having drawn upon highly dynamic classical and jazz aesthetics, Eastern Blok maintains a virtuosic approach and a timeless sound with a lively and elusive beat.  The Los Angeles Times calls Eastern Blok’s music “relentlessly innovative work.” Downbeat Magazine claims that “the ensemble playing is often breakneck and consistently challenging.”

Acoustic Guitar Magazine raves that Eastern Blok plays with “blazing virtuosity and sheer beauty.”EASTERN BLOK’s “extraordinary pan-cultural ensemble effortlessly blends classical and jazz music with the rich folkloric traditions of Macedonia, Bulgaria, and Serbia. The resulting music is as alluring as it is complex. Exotic Middle Eastern motifs merge gracefully with the evocative sounds of Eastern European klezmer music.

Beautifully conceived folk passages are followed by perfectly executed Mahavishnu-inspired pyrotechnics. The passion and urgency at which this group plays is heard in every note…” (Minor 7th Magazine).

About the presenter:

KFAR Jewish Arts Center is Chicago’s leading year-round presenter of Jewish arts and music programs. Now in its 10th year, KFAR advocates for the Jewish voice in Chicago’s cultural institutions and advances its role in the public sphere.

Hebrew for village, KFAR unites artists and audiences around vibrant celebrations of our heritage to create alternative conduits to community, connect to surrounding cultures and inspire investigations of identity by those exploring it through their craft.