Luminescent Orchestrii, NYC, July 9
Vessels of Song Festival
July 5-6 and July 8-10
Cornelia Street Cafe
29 Cornelia Street
between West 4th and Bleecker Sts, Greenwich Village
1,9 Subway to Sheridan Square; A, C, E, B, D, F to West 4th St.
Greenwich Village, NY 10014
Saturday July 9, 9:00pm & 10:30pm
LUMINESCENT ORCHESTRII
—music to make you dance, kiss and scream
(Sarah Alden, violin; Rima Fand, violin; Kaia Wong, violin; Sxip Shirey, resophonic guitar, melodica, bullhorn harmonica; Aaron Goldsmith, Guitarron)
All shows are $10, get a 3 shows discount card: $25
Tel: 212-989-9319 / Fax: 212-243-4207
Web: corneliastreetcafe.com
The last few years there's been a surge of interest in the traditional music of Eastern Europe. Cornelia St. Cafe is celebrating all the different ways in which Klezmer and Gypsy traditions have worked themselves into the contemporary NYC music scene. The week-long festival includes Margot Leverett and the Klezmer Mountain Boys, showing that the blend of Shtetl Klezmer and Down Home Bluegrass is smoother than you would imagine; Jeff Perelman with members of Romashka, Village Klezmer and Max & Minka, drawing upon their own travels throughout the former Soviet bloc to bring you infectious Eastern European Klezmer music, Gypsy (Rom) music, Balkan music and more; Jay Vilnai's Vampire Suit, exploring the interconnections of Balkan music, Middle- Eastern grooves and improvisation; and Susan Watts, the youngest generation of an exciting klezmer dynasty that reaches back to the Jewish Ukraine of the 19th century, bringing a rich repertoire of many original songs written for weddings, family members and joyous occasions.
An explosive mash of Romanian Gypsy melodies, punk frenzy, salty tangos, hard rocking klezmer, haunting Balkan harmony, hip-hop beats and Appalachian fiddle played on three violins, resophonic gitar, bullhorn harmonica and mariachi bass.
The members of the Orchestii come from different backgrounds and scenes in New York City but share a love of the music that people all over the world listen to while drinking, dancing and weeping. Sxip Shirey is an international circus composer, Sarah Alden is an old time Appalachian fiddle player, Rima Fand is an experimental theater composer, Kaia Wong plays MOOG in an electronic band and Aaron Goldsmith has played in goth, funk and old-world music ensembles.
"A punky five-piece string band, The Luminescent Orchestrii plays renditions of Appalachian and Gypsy tunes that run from lively and infectious to deeply melancholy. Its original compositions and varied interpretations of traditional melodies are like tiny, richly arranged musical adventures."—Time Out NY (NYC, NY)