Shalom!
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We are the Maxwell Street Klezmer Band of Chicago. We look forward to putting on a wonderful show for you!
What follows are materials that tell you more about us and the music that we play. If you are interested in a hard (paper) copy of these materials, just call our office at 847.675.4800.
Thank you for your interest!
Sincerely,
Lori Lippitz
The Music
Whether one is intimate with Jewish music or a newcomer, klezmer music opens the door to a world rich with energy and emotion. The klezmorim of Eastern Europe (Jewish folk musicians who played for celebrations) drew upon both the lyrical, haunting melodies of cantors and the boisterous dances of the Russians, Rumanians, Poles, and other surrounding cultures to create a unique and evocative style of their own. The melodies of the Chassidim (Jews whose prayers incorporated melody and ecstatic dance) form the basis of the klezmer's instrumental repertoire.
Forced from Russia by tyranny and poverty, Jewish immigrants poured into the "goldene medineh" (the golden land) from the 1880's until the gates were closed to immigrantion in the 1920's. "Here they found jazz and other world music cultures. For a few decades, an American klezmer style flourished. You could hear the influences of the Greek and Balkan and Eastern European melodies left behind, but this Americanishe version was also influenced by music from America--especially jazz. Parallel to klezmer was the Yiddish theater, and the golden age of Jewish cantors, and the Yiddish folk traditions." (Ari Davidow, Klezmer Musicologist). 42nd Street became home to the glory days of the Yiddish theater, where singers like Moishe Oysher, Mollie Picon and Aaron Lebedeff vied for the attention of the Yiddish-speaking crowds.
Then our parents and grandparents became 'good Americans,' and by the Sixties, "klezmer was...an unimaginative arrangement of 'Sunrise, Sunset' played at Jewish weddings and old folks homes....The klezmer revival of the Seventies changed that." (Davidow). With the destruction of the Jewish communities of Eastern Europe and disappearance of the shtetl (Jewish ghetto), the soulful sound of the klezmer was all but lost and forgotten. Then, in the late 1970's, young Jewish musicians in America were drawn to re-discover the music of their Eastern European heritage, preserved on antique recordings rescued from "grandma's attic." In addition to instrumental music, the revival of klezmer has also come to include folk melodies and the colorful comic songs of the Yiddish theater.
Today, dozens of professional klezmer bands and many more amateur klezmer music enthusiasts are part of this revival, playing all styles, from the plaintive strains of traditional Eastern European folklore to avant-garde jazz and rock improvisations on klezmer themes. Maxwell Street Klezmer Band retains the soul of the Old World in its interpretation of klezmer while adding its own creativity, spirit and humor to create a performance that is expressive, entertaining and uplifting.
The Band
What is Maxwell Street?
Maxwell Street was to Chicago what the Lower East Side was to New York. At the turn of the century, when the first wave of immigrants came to America, Maxwell Street became famous for its open-air Sunday marketplace crowded with Jewish pushcart peddlers, creating a carnival atmosphere enjoyed by Chicagoans and visitors alike. Like the Yiddish theater of yesteryear, a performance of the Maxwell Street Klezmer Band brings the optimism, pathos, irony, zest for life, and unique humor of the American Jewish immigrant to the modern stage.Band Biography
In 1983, before klezmer music gained its recent popularity, Lori Lippitz founded the Maxwell Street Klezmer Band. Working within the Chicago Jewish community, the band reintroduced traditional dance music to weddings and other Jewish celebrations. Over the years, the band has performed on stages across the country (including Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center) and played nine tours in Europe. Their third CD, You Should Be So Lucky!, is one of the ten best-selling klezmer recordings in America.Maxwell Street is:
- The founder of the Klezmer Music Foundation and organizer of the Midwest Klezmer and Yiddish Music Institute (since 1995) at the Kaplan JCC, the Midwest’s only annual forum for klezmer and Yiddish music workshops. The Institute attracts over 800 participants a year and trains musicians of all ages.
- The sponsor of the Chicago Junior Klezmer Orchestra, a training ground for young klezmer musicians, since 1993.
- A founding partner of the Yiddish Arts Ensemble, scoring and staging original English-language musicals based upon Yiddish folklore.
- On the roster of the Illinois Arts Council Artstour of recommended performers.
The Style
Clarinet, saxophone, violin, trumpet, trombone, piano, bass and percussion make up the band, rounded out by a duet of female singers. Musical Director Alex Koffman spices the band’s potpourri of Yiddish songs, dance and theater music with his original arrangements, inspired by his classical and jazz background. With its big band instrumentation, Maxwell Street moves easily among various styles: Russian and gypsy music, folk songs, theater songs and Yiddish pop songs from the 1920's-50's. Their performance creates a multi-dimensional picture of the lost Jewish culture of Eastern Europe, spiced with vignettes of America seen through immigrant eyes.The Musicians
Lori Lippitz, Band Leader, Vocals
Kimber Leigh Nussbaum, Vocals
Alex Koffman, Musical Director, Violin, Vocals
Donald Jacobs/Ralph Wilder/Jeff Jeziorski, Clarinet
Shelley Yoelin, Saxophone, Clarinet, Flute
Ivo Braun, Trumpet
Audrey Morrison/Dana Legg, Trombone
Gail Mangurten, Piano
Jim Cox/David Rothstein, Bass
Mark Ponarovsky, Percussion
The Teaching
The Maxwell Street Klezmer Band presents educational workshops, master classes and artist residence for schools, colleges and universities. The following are a selection of workshops which can be tailored to the needs of your classroom or audience.
Instrumental Masters Classes
Our clarinetist and violinist give lessons and demonstrations for groups of woodwinds, strings, or general musicians/music students. Instrumental technique as well as ornamentation, improvisation and studying are covered according to the level of the class. Instructors provide sheet music and recorded examples.Lecture: An Illustrated History of Klezmer Music
Band founder Lori Lippitz gives a history of the development of the unique, multi-cultural phenomenon of klezmer music in an entertaining and informative lecture punctuated with musical examples from rare recordings, the 1930’s-40’s and modern klezmer bands. This lecture can also be supplemented with demonstrations by one, two or three band members.Jumping Klezmer! Children's Performances (K-5th Grade)
The band (5-10 players) demonstrates what a klezmer band is, while introducing children to the instruments through rhythm and participation songs, with a view toward the uniqueness of the children’s own ethnic heritage. Teachers, take note: You might be called upon to learn the hora!Eastern European Jewish and Israeli Dance Workshop
We teach the steps to simple, traditional group dances while a number of musicians (from two to the whole ensemble) play. We wrap up the class with a klezmer dance party.Klezmer Institute: Week or Weekend
Our clarinetist, violinist, vocalist and keyboardist teach and rehearse in hands-on sessions with instrumentalist/vocalists of any age or level, to pass on the essentials of the klezmer musical style. The week/weekend culminates with a performance by student ensembles. Our musicians have been organizing and teaching at an annual klezmer institute weekend in Chicago since 1995.
The Recordings
A review of Old Roots New World, the newest recording from Chicago’s very own Maxwell Street Klezmer Band.
From the energy and joy of the opening "Lebedike Honga," this is the best album by Chicago’s best party band, ever. The only album that has hit me this hard was their amazing first album 20 years ago. With a lively mix of Yiddish show tunes and straight-forward Klezmer, the band shows that it is on a level with Boston’s own Klezmer Conservatory Band as impeccably wonderful purveyors of traditional Jewish tunes.
Arranger Alex Koffman’s able hand is apparent throughout. His composition for the wedding of bandleader Lori Lippitz, "Leah’s Saraband," is a delightful violin piece, presaging his amazing violin on the full blown "Klezmer Rhapsody for Violin" which takes up the last half of the album. But it is unfair to the rest of the performers to single out only Alex. From the exquisitely talented vocalists, to the solid orchestral core of the band, everyone is perfect. In a sense, this is the Klezmer band that George Gershwin might have wanted, had Gershwin lived long enough to see Klezmer come back as popular music. In fact, several of the songs come from that wonderful jazz era from which we got "Abi Gezunt" and "Yidl mitn fidl" and Porgy and Bess (okay, so the later song isn’t featured here). Also notable is the clarinet-violin dueling klezmorim on "Galitzianer vs. Litvak" with its brassy end segueing into a perfectly smoky jazz rendition of "Abi Gezunt."
The "Klezmer Rhapsody for Violin" deserves a few more words. It does echo Gershwin in some ways. It is also a piece that reflects the nearly hundred years since it was an American in Paris, not a modern Litvak on Chicago’s Maxwell Street. Listening to Alex have nearly 20 minutes to show how good he is on violin is worth the piece in its own right, but the piece is also one of the best fusions of Jewish music and the classical idiom I have ever heard. Somehow that fusion takes place while retaining the soul and flavor of the Jewish, a tribute both to the composer and to Alex and the orchestra behind him.
This particular album has added significance. It cape out this past summer, and the joyousness of the recording was so good, that the CD sat in my car for weeks as I ran around running errands leading up to my wedding. The fact that it contained a blisteringly fun "Chusn Kalleh Mazel Tov" or Alex’s aforementioned small wedding piece is incidental, I’m sure! It was the next best thing to having the band at our wedding. The fact that the cover is artwork from a long-time San Francisco acquaintance whose artwork and sculpture I have always admired (Arlin Robins), and with whom I often celebrated a seder, is an added bonus. I can’t promise that if you purchase this album you’ll find your beshert and get married—for all I know, you’re happily married now. But I can promise that you will both enjoy listening and dancing to this CD. Shpil di CD, khevreye, you’ll be glad you did!
--Ari Davidow's KlezmerShack
The Logistics
Concerts by the Maxwell Street Klezmer Band traditionally involve a total of ten performers: two vocalists and eight instrumentalists. The following information is designed both to help you visualize how the band usually performs as well as to serve as a guide to stage setup if you do decide to hire the band.
The concert location must be equipped with a sound system that can handle up to 24 inputs, with outputs to at least 8 monitors. In addition, a drum kit, baby grand piano or 88-key weighted keyboard with amp, upright bass, music stands, and chairs are needed.
A full description of the required equipment, and the band’s Tech Rider, is provided below.
For more information, contact Lori Lippitz by phone at 847.675.4800, by fax at 847.675.4880, or by email at MaxwellSt@aol.com.
The Fees
Maxwell Street Klezmer Band is a very versatile group, and our pricing reflects that versatility. We’re happy to offer a wide variety of band sizes and makeups to suit any budget. Simply call the band office at 847.675.4800 to get quotes.
Our band can be as large or small as you want it to be. The smallest group we offer is a trio (excellent for background music at a small gathering) while the largest is an eleven piece group! Maxwell Street is also pleased to offer the services of the highly renowned Jewish Dance Leader "Dancin’ Steve" Weintraub, who can add that extra spark to any party!
Just give us a call at 847.675.4800, and we’ll be happy to find the group that’s perfect for your needs!
For those interesting in having Maxwell Street tour in your area, we have a number of options for you as well. Our primary touring arrangement consists of a ten-piece band. The quotes below are for two fifty-minute sets with an intermission in between. Other prices can be worked out based on changes to the band size and set length.
- Local (metro Chicago): $4000
- In the U.S.: $6000 plus expenses, or $4000 as part of a performance series
- International: $6500 plus expenses, or $4500 as part of a performance series
Maxwell Street offers a 10% discount for not-for-profits. To book a non-profit concert, call the band at 847.675.4800, or if you'd perfer, contact our agent, Brian Eastman of The Talent Center at 800.878.ACTS.
The Critics
■■■■■ "Full of energy and humor...An eventful and entertaining evening, I can indeed recommend the Maxwell Street Klezme Band to other venues all over the wold." Weiner Konzerthaus ■■■■■ "Delightful...gorgeous violin playing" Chicago Tribune ■■■■■ "Internationally known...Evocative...Aims for the heartstrings and the feet." Jewish Heartland ■■■■■ "At the end, no one wanted to leave. The heartfelt music had touched everyone…" The Star ■■■■■ "The most well-attended, well-appreciated concert in [19] years…Everyone… was in awe of the band’s musical talents and wonderful showmanship." Illinois State University ■■■■■ "This group can easily take its place beside the Klezmer Conservatory Band and the Klezmatics. They are that good." National Jewish Post & Opinions ■■■■■ "I think that I’ve recovered from the Maxwell Street Klezmer Band concert [at Carnegie Hall], now. These guys do a very perfect vintage ‘30s jazz and klezmer and theatre music show. Lots of great shtick. Lots of great mugging for the audience. One of the tightest bands I’ve seen in a long time...I expected good, but this was really, really good." Ari Davidow ■■■■■ "Kings of klezmer" Pioneer Press ■■■■■ "Maxwell Street Klezmer once again was the star of the show." Temple Israel, Bloomfield, Michigan ■■■■■ "Outstanding performance… Maxwell Street brought...a ‘taste’ of Yiddishkyte that would be hard to duplicate...Excellent!" Valley Jewish Festival ■■■■■ "An absolutely first class performance...The audience absolutely loved them." World of Jewish Music, London ■■■■■ "An exhilirating, delightful high-voltage performance." örderung Jüdischer Kultur und Tradition E.V., Munich, Germany ■■■■■ "Sensational!" Mid-Kansas Jewish Federation ■■■■■ "The Maxwell Street Klezmer Band throws a party" Rich Swenson, Chicago Sun Times ■■■■■ "These are fine musicians...they care about the music. And when they care—I care." Theo Bikel, actor and singer ■■■■■
The Tours
2005 Concerts for the Schauer Arts and Activities Center, Hartford, Wisconsin; Columbia College, Department of Music; Concert, Performing Arts Center of Stevenson H.S. Community Foundation, Lincolnshire; Congregation Oheb Shalom, South Orange, New Jersey, workshops and concert; Concert, Fundraiser for the North Shore Choral Society, Evanston; Opening Concert for Jewish Music Festival, JCC, West Bloomfield, Michigan, 4th of July parades, Evanston and Highland Park; Columbia College concert and workshops; Skokie Park District Summer Concert Series; First Night Evanston; Performance at Annual Dinner and Groundbreaking for Spertus Institute of Jewish Studies; Hamsa Concert. 2004 Concert, Chicago Botanic Gardens, Glencoe; Genesis at the Crossroads Concerts, Highland Park and Downtown Chicago; Yom Yerushalayim concert for Lincolnwood Jewish Congregation; Summer concerts for Villages of River Grove, Hoffman Estates, Lincolnwood; Concert, Arlington Heights Memorial Library; Concert, Temple Israel, Omaha, Nebraska; Concert, Wisconsin Lutheran College, Milwaukee; Concert for the Board of Trustees of the United Jewish Communities National Board Meeting; Concert for Milwaukee Jewish Federation. Hamsa Concert, Lakeside Congregation, Highland Park; Concert, Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, Florida; fundraiser for Temple Sholom, Chicago; fundraiser for Children of Israel Fund, Concerts, Children's Museum at Navy Pier; Concert, Greater Chicago Jewish Folk Arts Festival; 4th of July parades for Highland Park and Evanston; Concert, Evanston Ethnic Arts Festival; Performance at Annual Dinner for Spertus Institute of Jewish Studies; Performance, Annual Dinner of Greasy Joan and Co. (theatre group); Concerts with Jubilate Children's Choir at Northwestern University and NSCI, Glencoe; Concert, Annual Dinner at Congregation Kol Emeth, Skokie; Concert, Trinity Christian College, Palos Heights; Hanukkah Concert for Spertus Institute of Jewish Studies, Hamsa Concert, First Night, Evanston. 2003 Concert, Performing Arts Center at Stevenson High School, Lincolnshire; Concert for Citizens for Mayor Richard M. Daley; Concert, Northwestern University, Evanston Campus; Concert, Shryock Auditorium, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale; Concert, DePaul University Hillel; Genesis at the Crossroads Arab-Jewish Arts Concert; 4th of July Parades, Evanston and Highland Park; City of Evanston Ethnic Arts Center; "Sunday Sundown Concert Series," Skokie Park District; River Front Park Summer Concert, River Grove; Concert Series, Zhivago Restaurant, Skokie; Concert, Trinity Christian College, Palos Heights; "Celebrations" Holiday Concert, Chicago Botanic Gardens, Glencoe; "Something Else" Holiday Concert, Spertus Museum of Judaica, Chicago; First Night Concert, Highland Park. 2002 Kultursommer Nordhessen and Mittelhessen, Germany (three concerts); Forde Folk Music Festival, Norway; Chicago Summerdance Series, Grant Park; Rainbow Summer, Marcus Center for the Performing Arts, Milwaukee; the Do It Yourself Hanukkah, Old Town School of Folk Music; the Greater Chicago Jewish Folk Arts Festival, Chicago; concerts in 24 Evanston Schools (EISMA); The Center for International Performance and Exhibition, Chicago; CD Release Party at Barnes & Noble, Skokie; Monthly concert at Zhivago Restaurant, Skokie; Genesis at the Crossroads Arab-Jewish Unity Concert (Chicago Cultural Center), Adlai Steven Performing Arts Center Series, Lincolnshire, IL. 2001 Festival of Jewish Culture, Munich, Germany; Kansas City JCC; A Night in Jerusalem, Dallas, TX; Tecumseh Civic Auditorium, Tecumseh, MI; Wariner Auditorium, Mount Pleasant, MI; Stevenson Performance Center, Lincolnshire, IL; Temple EmanuEl, Dallas, TX; Genesis at the Crossroads Arab-Jewish Unity Concert (Chicago Cultural Center); Temple Israel, West Bloomfield, MI; Do-It-Yourself Hanukkah, Old Town School of Folk Music; monthly concerts at Zhivago Restaurant, Skokie; 4th of July Parades, Highland Park and Evanston. 2000 Kultursommer Festival, Kassel, Germany; the Do It Yourself Hanukkah Concert and Public Television Broadcast, Chicago; Jewish Arts Foundation, Palm Beach, Florida, Milwaukee International Arts Festival; Truman State University (Kirksville, MO); Synagogue (Des Moines, IA); Jewish Cultural Council (Grand Rapids, MI) Israel Independence Day (Omaha, NB); Art Institute, Field Museum and Museum of Science & Industry, Chicago; Cong. Ner Tamid (Las Vegas, Nevada); 7th International Festival of Yiddish Music (Furth, Germany); Temple Beth Israel (Springfield, IL); Grinnell College (Grinnell, IA); Genesis at the Crossroads Arab-Jewish Unity Concert (Chicago Cultural Center), Hershel and the Hanukkah Goblins (North Shore Center for the Performing Arts, Skokie, IL); General Assembly of Jewish Federations, Chicago; Monthly concerts at Zhivago Restaurant; 4th of July Parade, Evanston. 1999 Klezfest (Temple Israel, West Bloomfield, MI); Performance Art Series, U. of Judaism, Los Angeles, CA; Southern Illinois University, Ishkabibble (Yiddish Arts Ensemble, Chicago); University; Chicago Summerdance Festival (Chicago); Jewish Arts Festival, Dallas, TX; Symphony Center Day of Music (Chicago); Do-It Yourself Hanukkah, (Old Town School of Folk Music, Chicago), Hershel and The Hanukkah Goblins (North Shore Center for the Performing Arts, Skokie, IL). 1998 Carnegie Hall, NY; Staff & concert: Midwest Klezmer and Yiddish Music Institute featuring Theodore Bikel (Skokie, Illinois). Kalamazoo Bach Festival (Michigan); Art Institute Chicago); Charleston Heights Arts Center (Las Vegas); Berea College (Kentucky); Yiddish Concert In The Park (Cleveland, Ohio); Jewish Arts Festival (Chicago). European Tour: London, Vienna, Munich, Amsterdam, The Hague, and Enschede. Do-It-Yourself-Hanukkah with Peter Yarrow and Debbie Friedman, Athenaeum Theater, Chicago. 1997 Do-It-Yourself Hanukkah with Peter Yarrow of and Debbie Friedman (Athenaeum Theater, Chicago); Opening Act for Alan King (Centre East, Skokie, IL); Opening Festival, the new Symphony Center (Chicago); Gindi Theater, U. of Judaism (Los Angeles, California); Meyerson Center for The Performing Arts (Dallas, Texas); Grinnell College (Iowa); JCC (Omaha; Nebraska); JCC (Wichita, Kansas); Wharton Center for the Performing Arts (East Lansing, MI), Quincy Arts Center (Quincy, IL). 1996 The Knitting Factory (NY); Gindi Theater of the University of Judaism (LA, CA); Century Villages (Florida). Staff & concert: Midwest Klezmer & Yiddish Music Institute (Skokie, IL); Do-It-Yourself -Hanukkah with Peter Yarrow (Athenaeum Theater; Old Town School of Folk Music, Chicago) 1995 Charleston Heights Arts Center (Las Vegas, Nevada); Carpenter Performing Arts Center (Long Beach, California); James Armstrong Theater (Torrance, California). Sponsors of and performers at the Midwest Klezmer and Yiddish Music Institute (IL). 1994 Featured artist at the 4th Festival of Jewish Music in Furth, Germany 1993 JCC concerts in Birmingham, Alabama and Memphis and Tennessee 1992 Graz Music Festival, Austria; Zurich JCC; Bern Municipal Museum (Switzerland); Satellite Beach, Ft Myers, FL
The Goodies
Maxwell Street Klezmer Band offers many unique services. The band can offer dance lessons—provided by Steven "Dancin’ Steve" Weintraub, pictured below—along with its concerts. In fact, the group has performed multiple times at the City of Chicago’s SummerDance festival in Grant Park, much to the delight of the City’s residents. The group also offers a 10% discount for non-profit clients. And of course, the band can also play classical, big band, Broadway, and classic rock tunes—whatever fits your needs.
Of course, if everything you’ve seen so far hasn’t convinced you that that Maxwell Street Klezmer Band is right for you, we have even more. Below, you’ll find everything from letters from our past clients to testimonials from audience members to multimedia items like a band picture and our one-page PR sheet.
We hope that these materials will give you a better idea of the band, and that they will help you in your decision. If not, there are always more options! If you would like to hear more from Maxwell St., listen to audio clips from our CDs and concerts (Track 12 is our concert demo), or watch videos of our live performances on the site and read past clients’ raves.
If you’re still not sure, simply call the band office at 1.847.675.4800 weekdays between 9:00 am and 5:00 pm Central (U.S.) Time, or email us at MaxwellSt@aol.com. We’ll be happy to answer any questions or find solutions to any problems you may have.
Once again, we’d like to thank you for your interest in the Maxwell Street Klezmer Band, and hope that you find we suit your needs.
Sincerely,
Lori Lippitz
Dear Lori,
The Maxwell Street Klezmer Band gave a wonderful performance on December 25 and was one of the highlights. Kimber was a beautiful voice and her Hanukkah blessings were inspiring.
We served 1264 people (including 94 volunteers!), a tremendous turnout we can all be proud of. I had the pleasure of speaking with many families who were unanimous in their praise for this event.
Thank you for helping to make Something Else! A Hanukkah Festival a great success.
Sincerely,
Elana Boiskin
Event Coordinator
Dear Lori:
On behalf of Congregation B’nai Jehoshua Beth Elohim [BJBE] and its membership, I would like to take this opportunity to thank you Maxwell Street for their fabulous job at our Club BJBE 110th Anniversary Gala Celebration.
The evening, held on November 1st, was a tremendous success. We can’t tell you how many people came up to us after the event to tell us how great it was to have you entertain us. Your music set the whole tone of the evening, and we really appreciated your willingness to set a price that we could afford. We truly believe that Club BJBE would not have been such a special occasion without your involvement. And a quick not of thanks for everyone at Maxwell Street with whom we came into contact—everyone was incredibly considerate and easy to work with. Thanks for everything!
Sincerely,
Bonnie Litch and Susan Jones
Co-Chairs, Club BJBE
Dear Maxwell Street Klezmer Band,
Shalom. On behalf of DePaul Hillel, I want to thank you so much for participating in DePaul’s Spirituality Week. The Band’s performance was well received and definitely added to the event. It’s good to be able to expose people to the music of MSKB, and you did just that through a lively and entertaining show. Thank you again for representing DePaul Hillel at this program and helping us to celebrate Jewish culture and tradition.
We hope to work together again in the near future. Please be in touch if we can be of assistance to you.
B’Shalom,
Rob Klegon
Israel Intern for DePaul Hillel.
Dear Lori Lippitz:
Not until last year did I receive "You should be so Lucky." And then WOW!
"Lucky" is an understatement. I absolutely flipped! This CD is a classic, and I savor every track. I play it at home, and in my car, over and over. Such fine musicians. Such fabulous arrangements. And this is the opinion of a musician.
I am a transplanted Chicagoan, who grew up enchanted with klezmer. We migrated to California in 1949 to buy a radio station, and have lived in the Goldeneh Medina ever since. I am long retired from the broadcast business, but music is as vital to me as the air I breathe.
I thank you for the pleasure of your musical genius, all of you. Please extend my complements to your brilliant talented musicians. They are all magnificent, but I have a special love for that heart-rending clarinet and for the elegant violin. The vocals are pure delight. And the last track—"Compote"—is exceptionally clever.
I have acquired "Old Roots New World," and I like it. But nothing will ever compare to how electrified I was the first time I played "Lucky." And how frequently I am moved to tears of pleasure and reminiscence, as I play and replay those treasured melodies.
With gratitude and appreciation, and my warmest wishes for your continued success...
Sincerely,
Sid Mandel
Dear Lori:
On behalf of the Jewish Community Center of Dallas, thank you for helping to keep the klezmer tradition alive in Dallas, Texas. The Maxwell Street Klezmer Band’s return performance at the Fourth Annual Jewish Arts Fest of Dallas was a highlight of a very special day that drew more than 5,000 people to the Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center. The band’s outstanding musicians, performing traditional repertoire that was fun, exciting, and filled with energy, had people dancing in the aisles. Dallasites are still raving about Maxwell Street’s performance.
We hope you enjoyed your experience at the festival. We look forward to working with you in the future.
Happy New Year and best regards,
Judy Cohn
Cultural Programs Director
