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joins them with Yiddish and Slavic
folklore, still leaving themselves room
for stage spontaneity.

The Slabiak Boys

"I started playing the violin at age 5,

and I learned the classics," recalls
Slabiak, who trained at the Brussels
Conservatory with his brother, who is
two years younger. "When I was 17, I
started listening to Yiddish and gypsy
music, and I dreamed about playing it."
As they got into performing their
brand of ethnic music, the brothers
could be heard at weddings and b'nai
mitzvah around Paris and then in
clubs throughout the city.
"I found I liked working with small
orchestras because I can hear myself
better," Slabiak says. "I listened to
recordings, played by ear and added
improvisations."
Although the brothers, who are both
unmarried, grew up in a home that
kept Jewish traditions, they also had
some family insight into gypsy culture.
Their uncle was a gypsy violinist, and
through their combined backgrounds,
they learned about the common expe-
riences — from being victims of the
Holocaust to being part of the
Diaspora — of the two ethnic groups.
"To me, it is very important to be
Jewish, although I am not very reli-
gious," says Slabiak, who has celebrat-
ed his bar mitzvah. "I love the culture
— the hurnor, the sensibility and, of
course, the music. I sing in Yiddish, ,
but I really don't speak the language.'
Slabiak has gone to Israel with the
intention of visiting relatives and tak-
ing a break from work, but after doing

some informal performances for fami-
ly, he found himself at the center of a
full concert in a little theater.
When Les Yeux Noirs reaches
Michigan, the group will be in the
midst of a tour that will take them
from Washington, D.C., to several
cities in California. Some of the stops
will be for festivals of world music.
'About two years ago, the artist
[who designed the liner notes] for one
of our recordings attended a concert
and came up with the idea for a
graphic to represent our playing," the
violinist says. "It was an animal with
big eyes, and he said it was a symbol
of the way we're always jumping while
being a little mysterious and funny." .
As the brothers decide directions for
their band, there is some disagree-
ment. Olivier Slabiak is more interest-
ed in electronic instruments than Eric
Slabiak, but they try to keep open
minds and compromise.
"We want a lot of people to discover
klezmer," Slabiak says. "We are always
proud and happy to perform, and it's a
privilege to meet Jewish people from
the audience after each show, especial-
ly when they tell us the memories that
klezmer brings to mind." ❑

Les Yeux Noirs will perform as
part of the Detroit Festival of the
Arts 6-7:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept.
14, on the Charter One/Metro
Times Stage and 6-7 p.m.
Sunday, Sept. 15, on the Wayne
State Stage in Detroit's Cultural
Center. Admission to the festival
is free. (313) 577-5088.

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band that meshes pop, alternative and
Broadway sounds — 6-7:30 p.m.
Saturday and 2-3 p.m. Sunday.
Representative Detroiters filling out
the 10 stages include:
• Blues artist Thornetta Davis pay-
ing tribute to Sippie Wallace — 3-
4:15 p.m. Saturday.
• Touring Company of the
Michigan Opera Theatre presenting a
revue of opera's "greatest hits"-
noon-1:30 p.m. Sunday.
• Singer-songwriter Tamara Bedricky
introducing original music with her-
three-piece band — noon-1 p.m. Sunday.
Also part of the performance scene
will be a Literary Arts Festival, with
more than 65 poets and writers read-
ing their own works and street enter-
tainers providing up-close antics.

More than 100 juried artists from
around the country will have their works
on display and for sale, while a hands-on
children's fair offers some 60 activities.
An abundance of food choices
rounds out the offerings 4-10 p.m.
Friday and 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Saturday
and Sunday for adults (hours overlap
erev Yom Kippur on Sunday night).
Children's programs go 11 a.m.-6 p.m.
Saturday and noon-6 p.m. Sunday.

— Suzanne Chessier

A complete schedule for the
Detroit Festival of the Arts is
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