PAUL KOHN S La Difference We will be open for dinner Closed for lunch Yiddishe Cup Klezmer Band. "This is not some sort of high-class classical/jazz concert;" says bandleader Bert Stratton. "We want people to be moved by the music, and either dance or watch people dance. And we put a lot of humor into the music; we want people to laugh." Labor Day Monday, September 4, 2000 Make your reservations now Every Tuesday night we now feature Sushi 7295 Orchard Lake Road, West Bloomfield, Michigan 48322 (Robin's Nest Shopping Plaza) 248-932-8934 Reservations Suggested band; a violinist, Steve Ostrow, who also plays the trumpet and trombone and is a member of the Akron (Ohio) Symphony Orchestra; a drummer, Don Friedman, another professional musician; and Daniel Ducoff, who leads the dancing. Of the dancing, Stratton explains: "We were afraid that nobody would know what to do after `Hava Nagila' — which is true." He believes dancing is "an important part of klezmer music," and Ducoff is the kind of guy who is very aggressive" on the floor. He likes to grab hands and get people going. In fact, if the audience is not par- ticipating — dancing or singing along or laughing — Stratton is not pleased. Klezmer concerts where peo- ple just sit and take the music very seriously -- well, don't even get him started. Hip, oh-so-cool klezmer makes his skin crawl, too: "that `Chasidic new-wave stuff' — it's hor- rible," he says. Instead, Yiddishe Cup offers a dis- tinctly 1950s (i.e.Mickey Katz) sound, with lots of humor thrown in. One song remembers a mean Hebrew teacher, while others recall that won- derful pastime food, and lots of it. Everyone in Yiddishe Cup lives in greater Cleveland ("but in three dif- ferent area codes," Stratton says). They have released two recordings, Klezmerized and Yiddfellas, available on CD and cassette. By the way, Stratton isn't in this just for the big concert appearances. He actually loves playing at wed- dings. He appreciates "being part of the Jewish community," while not attending a single meeting, and he " likes seeing people of so many differ- ent ages in one room. About 12 times a year, Yiddishe Gip travels out of state for a concert. In Boca Raton, Fla., they met up with a crowd that "knew our materi- al better than we did," while other performances are 99.9 percent non- Jewish (often, the group is booked by arts councils who have read about Yiddishe Cup in a catalogue and want an "ethnic" sound). But, Stratton says, no matter where he has performed, "there's always at least one Jew in the audience." One of Stratton's favorite appear- ances was on the Texas border, where virtually everyone in attendance was Mexican-American. The concert was pure klezmer, though Yiddishe Cup came back with an encore of "La Bamba." "What I'd like to do next is an international appearance," Stratton says. "I dream of making it to Windsor." Visit our website at: www.ladifference.com elli~ of Auburn Hills Now Featuring Sunday Brunch ,From 11am - 3pm Auburn Hills Location Only • Reservations Suggested 248-373-4440 PRIVATE BANQUET FACILITIES FOR ALL OCCASIONS °gil l '2 OFF FOR SPECIALLY-TRIMMED RIBS ❑ ALL DINNERS INCLUDE: SALAD OR COLE SLAW POTATOES AND GARLIC BREAD GOOD 7 DAYS! Yiddishe Cup performs 3 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 10, at Temple Emanu-El, 14450 W. 10 Mile Road, Oak Park. They will be joined on several numbers by Detroit's own Kids Klez Band. Admission is free. For informa- tion and tickets, call Andy Roisman at the Oak Park JCC, (248) 967-4030. To learn more about Yiddishe Cup, visit the group's Web site at www.yiddishecup.com . s L Li* ■ Exp. 9-14-2000 JN r '2 OFF MVP WITH OR WITHOUT SKIN ALL DINNERS INCLUDE: SALAD OR COLE SLAW POTATOES AND GARLIC BREAD I GOOD 7 DAYS! ■ Exp. 9-14-2000 JN Brass Pointectx0c/k7Q-9'/ - ' /(>,(4 24234 Orchard Lake Rd., N.E. corner of 10 Mile • 476-1377 . 9/ 1 2000 81