Meadow Brook Theatre 7-freee3a9a„.'a,4.1. Ooroadeeceav Klezmephonic! "Laverne Laverne 6 Shirley's" " -VIM Williams tt Eddie ilekka Jewish folk music is Alr es xiggctii sprinkled with swing and gypsy stylings. I ON SALE _NOW star"ng in • By Dan Goggin I Suzanne Chessler Contributing Writer ennie Lavine got caught up in competing career choices but found her way — along with a way to showcase the first-place winner. Moving between music performance and biology research, Lavine has priori- tized Klezmephonic, a five-member band she organized while holding on to part- time scientific editing. Klezmephonic, which will soon release an album, will perform Friday evening, May 8, at Kerrytown Concert House in Ann Arbor, where Lavine lives. The instrumentalists will give their own takes on klezmer music, the folk music brought to America in the 19th and 20th centuries by Eastern European Jews. "I think that the music speaks for itself and the emotions it conveys are universal; says Lavine, 31, a clarinetist who also performs with the Mefford-Lavine Duo. "I don't think it's mostly Jewish people who listen. For me, it feels like I'm connecting with my roots. My family is from Eastern Europe, and many of them would still [exist] had it not been for World War II and everything that happened there:' Lavine, whose love for music started with piano, moved on to clarinet while growing up in Ithaca, N.Y. "I chose the clarinet because of klezmer and studied with teachers who had their own klezmer bands:' says Lavine, who was introduced to the style by listening to recordings owned by her parents. "I played classically through college while still playing klezmer with different groups" Thinking of stable work opportunities, Lavine earned degrees in biology as well as music, attending Emory University in Atlanta and Pennsylvania State University. She has performed with the Cornell Symphony Orchestra in Ithaca as well as the Emory Symphony Orchestra and Capitol City Opera in Atlanta. "I moved to Ann Arbor for a research job and didn't play music very much for about a year:' Lavine explains. "The bal- ance in my life felt really off, and I needed to put music back in my life' Linking with area musicians, Lavine joined bassist Dave Sharp and guitarist Alex Belhaj in gypsy jazz, which crosses styles with klezmer. After hearing violin- ist Henrik Karapetyan and accordionist Will Cicola, she invited all four to launch j Jennie Lavine, center, with the group Klezmephonic in 2013. Musical credentials, not religious creed, made up her criteria for band member- ship; she remains the group's only Jewish instrumentalist, often singing with Belhaj. "I think our group has a nice mix of the traditional sounds while bringing in other influences;' says Lavine. A lot of the fast-paced nature of klezmer gets people up on the dance floor. While the Kerrytown show will include staples of the klezmer repertoire ("Odessa Bulgar" and "Melnick" among them), it also will include more unusual selections, like "Baym Rebbe in Palestina," a hora. "There's another meaning to bora," Lavine explains. "[It can be] a slow tune done in three beats per measure, like the waltz, but it doesn't have the feeling of a waltz. It's a beautiful, haunting melody. "'Dark Eyes; a Russian folk song, has been done by lots and lots of people, but the arrangement put together by our violinist starts with a haunting violin seg- ment, moves into swing-era sounds, goes into a bit of the waltz and comes back with a soulful end" "The show at Kerrytown will feature a lot of the arrangements and songs we put together for the album [still untitled], and I'm really excited about that;' Lavine says. "On the album, Shaun Williams, an ethnomusicology student at Indiana University, plays the tsimbl (traditionally used in klezmer), and there's new material from Eastern Europe that's a continuation of the tradition" Also on the album will be a jazz tune Lavine transcribed off a recording. The title translates to "That's the which she finds relates to her ways. "Music is my main interest; says Lavine, who is single. "It's how I connect most strongly with being Jewish" ❑ April 22 - May 17 Don't Miss the Boat! 11248-377-3300 Today! 207 Wilson Hall, Rochester, MI 48309 On the Campus of Oakland University Box Office 248-377-3300 • Group Sales 248-370-3316 www.mbtheatre.corn or www.Ticketmaster.corn ,shigan These activities are supported by the MICHIGAN COUNCIL FOR ARTS AND CULTURAL AFFAIRS and the NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR THE ARTS. council i« arts & cultural A ART WORKS. National Endowment for theArts arts a ffairs 2003620 atothet3 .0ezy . 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Ex.ires 6/1/15 SUSHI LUNCH SPECIAL 25% OFF All Sushi Rolls Klezmephonic will perform at 8 p.m. Friday, May 8, at Kerrytown Concert House, Ann Arbor. $5-$30. (734) 769-2999. kerrytownconcerthouse.com . Before 2:30PM Oltel Dine In only. Not valid with other offers. Expires 6/1/15 WEEKDAY HIBACHI SPECIAL 2 Hibachi Lunch for $15 tial Not valid with other offers and available Monday-Friday only. Expires 6/1/15 COME CELEBRATE! 20% OFF Minimum Purchase of $100 NI'AS.1E1 JN Excludes alcohol, Cannot be combined with other offers. Expires 6/1/15 April 30 • 2015 67