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An evening of Klezmer Music with

Veretski Pass   

   

                                                                                                                                  

Sunday, March 4, 2012 at 7:00pm
Village Homes Community Center
2661 Portage Bay East, Davis, CA.
For reservations call: (530) 867-1032
$13 in advance, $15 at the door

 





Cookie Segelstein, 19th Century violin and viola,

Stuart Brotman, bass, basy, and baraban,

Joshua Horowitz, tsimbl and 19th Century accordion


www.veretskipass.com


Veretski Pass offers a unique and exciting combination of virtuosic musicianship and raw energy that has excited concertgoers across the world. Between the three members of this band, there are eight instruments on stage; violin, viola, two tsimbls (hammered dulcimer), 19th century button accordion, bass, bassetl (three stringed bass), basy (three stringed Polish folk cello) and baraban (Jewish style drum). this band of veterans plays klezmer music of historical Eastern Europe on original instruments; melodies from Ukraine, Carpathian-Ruthenia, Bessarabia and Rumania. Much of this rare music has been gleaned from field recordings gathered by the musicians themselves in numerous trips throughout Europe. With its colorful instrumentation and unique arrangements, this seminal ensemble carries on the ancient tradition of klezmer musicians, playing music of all kinds, but with a recognizable Jewish sound.


PRESS REVIEWS:

Fiery and virtuosic dance music, and melancholy alternated back and forth and transported the listeners through an emotionally intensive musical journey which captured much of the rural originality. The audience was excited and danced at the end, new sense of abandon…Buersche Zeitung; Ruhr Nachrichten, April 19, 2004

 
Everything about this evening was perfect: A music that touched the soul of this transfixed audience. Those who listened with their hearts found on this evening, their own roots. Suzanne Grimm, Schwäbeische Zeitung, October 11, 2004

 

Saturday, April 7, 2012

At 8:00PM

Village Homes Community Center

2661 Portage Bay East, Davis, CA.

For reservations call: (530) 867-1032

$13 in advance, $15 at the door


Kina Mendez - Vocals

Gopal Slavonic - Flamenco Guitar

John Martin - Percussions and vocals

Drea Pacot - Dancer

Singer and dancer KINA MENDEZ grew up in the Mendez clan of Gypsy artists from Jerez. She began singing under the influence of her aunt, legendary singer La Paquera de Jerez. Her professional career began when she joined Manuel Morao's company. She later worked with Mario Maya and toured internationally with Salvador Tavora's productions Carmen and Carmina Burana. Performing in festivals such as La Fiesta de las Bulerias and Las Fiestas de la Vendimia in Jerez de la Frontera, she has shared the stage with Agujetas, El Grilo, La Macanita and others. A featured artist at last year's Festival de Jerez, her solo CD De Sevilla a Jerez was released 2008 in Madrid.

Drea Pacot has been dancing flamenco for 17 years. Drea studied in Spain with Concha Vargas, Jose Galvan, Belen Amaya, Raphael Campallo, and Concha Jareno. She studied years under San Francisco's Yaelisa. Drea has worked hard as performer and teacher in the Sacramento and Nevada County area. In 2007 Drea received a grant from The Sacramento Metropolitan Arts Commission to showcase her students.


Gopal Slavonic has studied and played flamenco for 16 years and studied Flamenco guitar in Sevilla, Spain at La Fundacion Christina Heeren. He studied at the Foundation for two years where he received the opportunity to study with many great guitarists. Gopal has returned to Spain to study many times over the last decade. Gopal has worked with California Flamenco artists Mark Taylor, Cerro Negro, La Fibi, La Carola, Roberto Zamora, Pilar Moreno and recently released his second CD "Dos Orillas".

An evening of Flamenco del Oro

Special guest from Jerez de la Frontera, Spain: Kina Mendez!

With dancer Drea Pacot, guitarist Gopal Slavonic, and percussionist Roger Aiton. 

An evening of an eclectic mix of Turkish, Romani, Sephardic, Balkan and American roots music plus originals inspired by these traditions.

Featuring... JANAM


Sunday, Feb. 5. 2012 at 7:00pm
Village Homes Community Center
2661 Portage Bay East, Davis, CA.
For reservations call: (530) 867-1032
$13 in advance, $15 at the door


Juliana Graffagna: voice, percussion;
Dan Auvil: percussion;
Tom Farris: laouto, guitar, accordion;
Gari Hegedus: oud, violin, mandocello;
Peter Jaques: clarinet, voice;
Bill Lanphier, bass


www.JanamBand.com

Janam creates a compelling, eclectic mix of Balkan, Romani, Sephardic and American roots music, plus inspired originals. These sultry rhythms and soul-stirring melodies deliver a dance- and trance-inducing groove that carries the listener from the shores of the Black Sea to the foothills of the Appalachians. Founded by extraordinary vocalist and former music director of Kitka Women’s Vocal Ensemble, Juliana Graffagna, Janam features several of the Bay Area’s most innovative interpreters of Southern Balkan and Middle Eastern traditional music. Janam’s collective experience includes literally decades of national and international touring, participation in local super groups Brass Menažeri, Stellamara, Edessa, and Gamelan X, and performances with Le Mystère des Voix Bulgares, Madonna, Ivan Milev, and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.


“An innovative ensemble that explores a dizzying range of styles, from Appalachia and Asia Minor to Eastern Europe. The quintet plays swirling, hard-driving music that always seems to end up in unexpected places.”  SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE

 

“This fine group goes on a world tour of Eastern Europe…with no cultural jet lag.”

SANTA BARBARA INDEPENDENT

 

“They’re a band to watch, with some sterling musicianship and a real sense of fervor about them.” SING OUT!


 

Gari Hegedus is one of the most accomplished string instruments player, both plucked & bowed, in the context of Balkan and Middle Eastern music.


He has been one of the most active players in the San Francisco Bay area. He has studied with Oud master, Naseer Shamma, and recorded and performed with Ross Daly.


Gari has collaborated with some of the finest ensembles including; Stellamara, Teslim, Janam, The Helladelics and Eliyahu & The Qadim Ensemble.


This concert, An Oud Recital, dedicated to the art of the Oud, is Gari's first solo performance!!


In my personal opinion, this is one of the HIGHLIGHTS of this year music series!

An Evening of Greek Rebetika with PASATEMPO

directly from Seattle


Sunday, July 22, 2012

At 7:00PM

Village Homes Community Center

2661 Portage Bay East, Davis, CA.

For reservations call: (530) 867-1032

$13 in advance, $15 at the door


Pasatempo is a band based in Seattle, Washington that performs rebetika and other folk music of Greece & the Balkans both locally and nationally. The band is Christos Govetas on bouzouki, baglama, and vocals, Ruth Hunter on accordion, and vocals and Nick Maroussis on guitar, as well as guest musicians Hank Bradley on bouzouki, Steve Ramsey on baglama and tzoura and Bill Lanphier on double bass. For more details on the group, check their website; http://kyklosmusic.com/PASATEMPO

Reviews


“Christos Govetas, impresses us again. I believe, anyone who hears these songs would admire not one, but many different aspects of these renditions. In terms of substance, we would place him among the best interpreters of the old rebetika songs.” Yiorgos E. Papadakis, ELEFTHEROTYPIA 8/27/2011

 

“Anyone who knows Greek art, will recognize in this CD an atmosphere that is quite unique to that country. The performances capture this perfectly, which is why Greeks to whom I have played these songs have been visibly moved by them.

The press notes describe this CD as a ‘rare gem’; it deserves to be an extremely well-known gem.” Chris Williams froots magazine UK

 

“O Pasatempos, is an absolute must. It is among the few rebetic revivalist Cd's (of which there are a plethora) which, I believe, truly captures the flavor and spirit of the music and songs.” Joe Graziosi

By popular demand


An evening of Traditional Music of Eastern Europe, Featuring Lily Storm


www.songbat.com

August 25, 2012 at 8:00 PM

Village Homes Community Center
2661 Portage Bay East, Davis, CA
$13 in advance, $15 at the door
Call; (530) 867-1032
for reservations & info.


Lily Storm is a singer specializing in traditional music, with particular experience in Eastern European styles. She has studied with many traditional singers (Donka Koleva, Kremena Stancheva, Merita Halili and others)  She has traveled extensively, living for some months in Hungary and Greece and visiting Russia, Georgia, Turkey, Albania, Bulgaria, Bosnia, Montenegro, Croatia and India. She also makes use of archival recordings to study ancient styles preserved into the early 20th century. In 2009 Lily released a debut solo album called If I had a key to the dawn: Love Songs and Laments from Eastern Europe, and is currently recording a collection of traditional lullabies from all corners of Europe. she sang with the Bay Area vocal ensemble Kitka for 5 years. As part of Kitka,she recorded as a soloist (The Vine, Wintersongs), collaborated in concert with ensembles including Le Mystère des Voix Bulgares and others. 


Lily Storm - Vocals & Harmonium
Dan Cantrell - Accordion

Words of Praise:
"A stark, stunning record, unsurprising upon learning that Storm sang with vocal troupe Kitka for a half-decade, whose albums never disappoint. Here she takes on Greece, Aremenia, Hungary, Bulgaria, and more on their own terms, creating a stunning tapestry of sounds backed up by an elegant selection of instrumentalists.” -- Derek Beres, Huffington Post

"Storm knows her material ... and sings with reverence, real skill, and true emotion. She's most certainly a class act, not appropriating the songs, but disseminating them to a wider audience.” -- Chris Nickson, All Music Guide

"this is someone who feels the music at a cellular level, and performs it with exquisite beauty.... Storm's voice and the songs are what this is about, and on the basis of this, she has a very grand future.” -- Sing Out

 
An Evening of Greek Rembetiko


September 16, 2012 at 7:00 PM

Village Homes Community Center 2661 Portage Bay East, Davis, CA

$13 in advance, $15 at the door
Call; (530) 867-1032
for reservations & info.


"Just like the Old Days"


The HOHLAX trio was formed in 2007 on the Greek island of Amorgos . They have relocated and are currently based in Athens. The name HOHLAX refers to the beach HOHLAKAS, where the members of the group have spent many summers together. This beach, provided much inspiration and gives the group members of HOHLAX a unique energy and force, which, together with their dedication to the music tradition of Greece, makes for a unique and moving musical experience. HOHLAX has played in almost all of the music venues on AMORGOS and has also enjoyed performing in Athens .


The Hohlax Trio are:

Jaime Smith – Violin

Orestis Koletsos – Bouzouki

Apostolis Kounis – Guitar, Oud & Vocals


To find out more, visit their website; http://www.hohlax.gr

 
Kabile Traditional Bulgarian Wedding Band



Sunday, October 21, 2012 At 7:00pm


Village Homes Community Center 2661 Portage Bay East, Davis, CA

$13 in advance, $15 at the door
Call; (530) 867-1032
for reservations & info or online at the top left corner of the page


Kabile Traditional Wedding Band was formed in 1978 and became one of the most popular bands in the Thrace region of Bulgaria. Based in the city of Yambol, the group took its name from the village of Kabile, where they performed one of their earliest gigs. The group specialized in performing native music on traditional village instruments, resulting in an acoustic experience quite different from that played on Western instruments influenced by American jazz. This form of Bulgarian wedding music has attracted worldwide attention and scholarship for its incredible virtuosity and musicianship. During its heyday, the band played almost every weekend at weddings, baptisms and cultural festivals in Thrace.


The band plays all the instruments of a traditional Bulgarian village band. The gaida is a bagpipe made of goat skin and pipes. The tapan is a large wooden drum covered with sheep or goat skin and played with two specially designed drumming sticks: the kukuda is a pipe-shaped stick of walnut and the prachka is a thin switch, usually made of dogwood or willow. The kaval is a flute-like instrument open at both ends, played by blowing on the smaller, sharpened end. The gadulka is a pear-shaped string instrument, played vertically in front of the musician. These four instruments have a centuries-old history in Bulgarian folk music; as a 'modern' addition, the band also includes the accordion (ca. 1832).


The band's members each serve as an outstanding representative of his or her musical specialty. Individually, each member of the band has an exceptional history of scholarship and performance. Collectively they form one of the most respected ensembles in Bulgarian Thrace.

 

About the band:

Dzhenko Andreev (gaida) is a graduate of the Filip Koutev High School of Music in Kotel, Bulgaria, one of the two prestigious music high schools in Bulgaria. Founded in 1967, the school was the first high school in Bulgaria to offer a full curriculum of traditional Bulgarian music. Over the five-year course of study, students generally specialize in a specific instrument or type of music. Regional folk music and dance ensembles, which preserve local styles, have much support throughout Bulgaria. Mr. Andreev has been a member of the Sliven Ensemble for over 20 years and has toured with them internationally.


Ivan Handzhiev (vocals, accordion) is also a graduate of the Filip Koutev High School of Music and the Academy of Music, Dance and Fine Arts in Plovdiv, the country's most prestigious university-level institution for folk music. Handzhiev also served on the faculty of Filip Koutev High School as a music instructor for more than 25 years.


Nikolay Doktorov (kaval) is a graduate of the Filip Koutev High School of Music and the Academy of Music, Dance and Fine Arts. He currently serves on the faculty of the High School 'Anton Strashimirov' in Varna, Bulgaria, where he teaches kaval and conducts folk orchestra. He is also the conductor of several regional ensembles in Varna, including the Folk Ensemble Pendary and the Folk Orchestra 'Spektar' of the Union of the Blind in Bulgaria


Donka Koleva graduated from the Musical Folklore High School in Shiroka Luka and performed for three years with the Sliven Ensemble for Folk Songs and Dances. She was the director of the Folk Song Chorus of Sopot and has been a featured soloist on Bulgarian Radio and Television. She has participated in many singing competitions in Bulgaria and Europe. Her voice has been featured on numerous recordings and in 1997 her recording of 'Javore' was named 'Song of the Year' in the Bulgarian national radio competition.Since emigrating to the U.S. in 1995, Nikolay Kolev and Donka Koleva have played an active role in fostering Bulgarian music across the country. They teach workshops in their respective fields and perform solo and together as a duo and as a family quartet with their daughters, Penka and Maria.

Revered Crete-based composer-performers Ross Daly and Kelly Thoma of Labyrinth join exploratory string duo Teslim (Kaila Flexer and Gari Hegedus) in a variety of live concert programs and musical workshops throughout California, October 14-28, 2012.


When Bay Area violinist and composer Kaila Flexer, one half of Teslim, first heard Ross Daly on the radio, she immediately changed courses to find his recordings at a local store. With her Teslim collaborator and fellow devotee of Eastern Mediterranean music, Gari Hegedus, she marveled at Daly’s musical intensity and fluidity, the freshness of his approach and the integrity and depth of his transformational, multi-cultural artistic vision.


Although of Irish descent, Ross Daly defies ethnic classification. From a very early age, Daly discovered that music was, in his own words, "the language of my dialogue with that which I perceive to be sacred." This dialogue eventually led him to studies and collaborations with many great masters of the Middle East, Central Asia, and the Indian subcontinent. Widely traveled, Daly has been based on the island of Crete for decades. Universally recognized as one of the foremost experts on the island's rich musical traditions, he established the Labyrinth Musical Workshop in the village of Houdetsi, a unique educational institution and ethnic instrument museum staffed by international master musicians and dedicated to the study of the world’s modal music traditions.


After several years of studying and performing Ross’ compositions here in the U.S., Flexer and Hegedus dreamt up a project to collaborate with Daly and his musical partner, Kelly Thoma. Both Daly and Thoma are masters of the lyra, a pear-shaped bowed instrument found on Crete, to which the enterprising musicians have added an additional fleet of sympathetic strings. Uniting as composers and collaborators, the quartet of players of multi-ethnic string instruments began to craft and explore music that springs and departs from the traditions of the Eastern Mediterranean.

Ross Daly, Kelly Thoma & Teslim will be joined by Miles Jay on Bass. They invite listeners to join them on a journey of unexpected musical pathways and crossroads. Inspired by the diverse facets of traditional music of Greece and the Near East, these performers offer routes to a core sonic experience that defies easy geographic categorization.

 

Into the Labyrinth:

Complex Compositions and Traditional Melodies Unite Musicians from America and Greece


Sunday, October 28, 2012 at 7:00 PM
Village Homes Community Center

2661 Portage Bay East, Davis, CA


$20 in advance, $24 at the door
Call Gil: (530) 867-1032 for reservations & info.
for reservations & info or online at the top left corner of the page

In the upcoming event in the series of Traditional/Contemporary World Music concerts, TimnaTal Music brings to Davis an outstanding Musical group: The Helladelics. This will be their LAST show in Davis!


The Helladelics is a Bay Area band specializing in traditional Greek roots music. While having a special fondness for the hypnotic, bluesy material from the Epirus region of northwestern Greece, their repertoire also spans the region: from the upbeat dance tunes from Thrace to the sweet vocal songs from the islands, as well as some jaunts to Asia Minor and Armenia as well. The group consists of:  



Mary Hofer Farris

Mary was on a long hiatus from playing after quitting the conservatory…until one spring day in 1996, when a clarinetist came into the music store where she was working and played a tsamiko. The angels must be from Epirus, because from that moment the hiatus was over. A founding member of Bay Area Balkan bands Voluta Vox, Top Dog Run, and Late Cift, Mary first delved into Bulgarian and Macedonian music, being temporarily sidetracked by West African music and finally finishing that pesky classical degree. She went on to play saxophone and clarinet with the wildly popular Brass Menažeri for six years before leaving the band late in 2008 to study Turkish music and to devote her energy to the Helladelics. 

 

Michele Simon

Michele fell in love with Balkan folk music at age 15 and has never recovered. After a 20-year acting career, she has spent the last 20 years as a vocalist and drummer with a variety of Balkan music groups including Kitka Women's Vocal Ensemble, and the dance bands Anoush, Orkestar Sali and Zabava! Izvorno.  She is a founding and current member of Brass Menažeri (http://www.brass.menazeri.com/).  She has studied with native-born musicians in the USA as well as in Bulgaria, where she has appeared on Bulgarian National Television. She is a popular singing teacher at West Coast music workshops and camps. 


Gari Hegedus

Gari plays violin, viola and a variety of stringed instruments from Greece and Turkey including lauoto, oud, saz and hand drums. Gari plays in the duo Teslim with violinist Kaila Flexer, and performs with world music group Stellamara (www.stellamarra.com)  He has studied with oud master Naseer Shamma and has recorded and performed with Ross Daly. He has toured with the Mevlevi Dervish (Sufi) Order of America and continues to participate in Turkish ceremonial and devotional gatherings around the country.


Tom Farris

Tom has been playing in Bay Area Balkan rhythm sections since 1994.  He is a multi-instrumentalist and plays a variety of drums and stringed instruments.  He was a long time member of Anoush, Brass Menažeri, and Top Dog Run.  Currently he plays with The Black Olive Babes and Izvorno Icepick.  In addition to Balkan music, Tom also writes and records his own folk-rock songs.

 

Farewell to The Helladelics


Saturday  November 10, 2012 at 7 pm

Village Homes Community Center

2661 Portage Bay  East, Davis

Tickets:  $13 reserved, $15 at the door

 

Call Gil: (530) 867-1032 for reservations & info.
for reservations & info or online at the top right corner of the page

or via email: info@TimnaTalmusic.com

Past Concerts 2012