Heard and seen: Kapelye in concert at Pavillon
A special tidbit one could hear and see on 13-OCT-1996: New York Klezmer group "Kapelye",
amongst groups like "Klezmer Conservatory Band" (make a note: performing on 26-NOV-96 at
the Hannover Pavillon!) and "Klezmorim" pioneers of the Klezmer revival, performed at the
Hannover Pavillon.
Kapelye was founded by banjoplayer Henry Sapoznik in New York in 1979. Todays cast is
Henry Sapoznik (banjo, vocals), Ken Maltz (clarinet, back-voc), Eric Berman
(tuba), Pete Sokolow (piano) and Adrienne Cooper (vocals). Pete did not perform
in Hannover and had been replaced by Lauren Brody (accordion, piano, vocals).
Kapelye got a good grip on the audience from the first minute of the concert, enthusiastic they clapped
their hands by the rhythm of the freilakhs. What made the succes of this concert? Has it
been Henry, the banjo wizard, or Eric, a man like a bear, with his tuba giving a reliable rhythm and
bass base at any time, Ken's clarinet, sounding not as spectacular as the one of Giora
Feidman or Helmut Eisel, but maybe more authentic, the virtuos accordion player Lauren, or
Adrienne's wonderful alto voice? Or was it some musical highlights, f.e. a little boy's
commune with his rebbe on the subject "How is the "keizer" (the csar in this case) drinking
his tea, how is he eating his potatoes, how is he sleeping?", magnificently performed a capella
by Henry? Or this terrific jiddish parody of the old fifties-hit by Merle Travis,
"Sixteen Tons" (mpeg3, 230 KB, 30 sec)
("You load sixteen tons of hard salami...")?
Or Adrienne's hymn to "mashge", whisky, the golden friend (oy, how can I understand...)? The
freilakhs and horas? Surely, all that, but even more: the charisma of the band's members,
the subtile, sometimes hair splitting jiddishe sense of humour, you will always find in
these old tales of the clever rebbe, still finding another reason for "noch ein gleyzl vayn" by
artful interpretation of the scriptures, a sense of humour, always peeping out between the
instruments - a mixture, making this evening unforgettable.
What else to say? - Standing ovations for the band.
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