Enjoy Yiddish songs and Klezmer dance music ranging from Bessarabia to Brooklyn. We'll bring back Yiddish singer Jeanette Lewicki with her eclectic repertoire of rarely-heard songs and stories, joined by virtuoso clarinetist Sheldon Brown and rock-solid bassist Richard Saunders. They've been playing together for over twenty years and still have fun!
Rabbi Joey Felsen will share his thoughts about the festival of Hanukkah. And just in time for the holidays, Diane Claerbout with Designs from the Heart will donate all proceeds from the sale of her jewelry to Community Tuesdays, in memory of Jos Claerbout.
Jeanette Lewicki—Accordion, Yiddish vocals
Sheldon Brown—Clarinet
Richard Saunders—Bass
Yiddish singer and accordionist Jeanette Lewicki was born in California and has pursued Yiddish song and klezmer music around the world. She's produced numerous CDs for other musicians including Beyle Schaechter-Gottesman, Arkady Gendler and the Gonifs klezmer Band. In 2012 Jeanette took part in the YIVO NY project to digitize the complete Ruth Rubin collection, which involved listening to more than 900 unaccompanied Yiddish songs sung by native speakers. She has coached Michael Tillson Thomas in Yiddish, sung at hundreds of weddings and played in the Yiddish Theatre in New York and San Francisco. Jeanette is thankful to the many Yiddishists who have helped her along the way and she continues to teach and inspire young people who want to carry on the Yiddish song tradition.
Composer and woodwind multi-instrumentalist, Sheldon Brown has been involved in the San Francisco Bay Area creative music scene for over 20 years. In June of 2014 he premiered his extended composition Blood of the Air at the 32nd Annual San Francisco Jazz Festival, based on the speech melodies of beat-era Surrealist poet Philip Lamantia, Blood of the Air.
Since 1994 Sheldon has led the Sheldon Brown Group, which performs his own compositions. He recently formed the Sheldon Brown Quintet, which performs the music of Herbie Nichols and Distant Intervals, based on poetic speech melodies. The Sheldon Brown Group has performed several times at Yoshiʼs and as part of the San Francisco Jazz Festivalʼs Summer in the City series.
Brown has performed internationally as a featured soloist with Cuban pianist Omar Sosa and recorded on five of Sosaʼs albums. While with Sosa he performed at many famous venues, such as The North Sea Jazz Festival in Den Haag, New Morning in Paris, Tribute to the Love Generation in Tokyo and many others. Brown performs with many groups in the SF Bay Area, including the San Francisco Klezmer Experience and was part of the Bay Area klezmer revivial ensemble The Klezmorim.
Richard Saunders was born in New York City in 1945. He grew up in Great Neck, on Long Island's North Shore. Suspended from high school for a year, he applied to UC Berkeley because it was 3000 miles away and had a reputation as pinko. Arriving in Berkeley in September of 1964, Richard was there in time to participate in the events of the sixties, build a washtub bass and commence a musical career as a bassist. Oh yes, he received a BA in history in 1969.
Richard studied music composition, harmony and counterpoint with Bill Matthieu from 1968 to 1970 when he bought his first upright bass ($275 with bow and bag). He has played and recorded with Country Joe and the Fish, Freddie Hubbard, Joe Henderson, Jessica Williams, Cat Anderson, the San Francisco Mime Troupe, various TV shows and ads and movie scores. He is proud of his work with Klez-X (formerly San Francisco Klezmer Experience). He currently is on the faculty of the San Francisco Community Music Center.
Rabbi Joey Felsen, Founder and Executive Director of the JSN, hails from Toronto, Canada. A skilled educator, Rabbi Felsen teaches classes at the JCCs in Palo Alto and Los Gatos, as well as a host of other venues. He is the founding Board President of Meira Academy and a recipient of the prestigious Grinspoon-Steinhardt National Award for Excellence in Jewish Education. [email protected]
Monthly Music at Noon concerts include a delicious hot buffet lunch before the concert.
Daytime Adult Learning and Culture Programs are made possible in part by the John R. Schwabacher Family as well as a grant from the Maimonides Fund at the Jewish Community Federation & Endowment Fund. We are grateful for their generous support.
Tuesday, December 17
11:30 AM–1:30 PM
Schultz Cultural Arts Hall
$25 or two punches of the Community Tuesdays Punch Card
RSVPs required to Michelle Rosengaus by December 15. Pay at the door.
Contact: Michelle Rosengaus | (650) 223-8616 | [email protected]