BOWLING GREEN, O.—Clarinetist David Krakauer, praised internationally for his ability to play in myriad music genres with “prodigious chops” (The New Yorker), will perform with his group Klezmer Madness! for the opening of Bowling Green State University’s 2012-13 Festival Series. The concert begins at 8 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 29, in Kobacker Hall.
The band includes Sheryl Bailey on guitar, Leo Traversa on bass, Michael Sarin on drums, Will Holshouser on accordion, and Jeremy Flower (aka Keepalive) on sampler.
Krakauer and Klezmer Madness! have performed around the world since 1996, forging alliances between their branch of world music and a multitude of musical genres including jazz, funk and most recently, electro. While firmly rooted in traditional klezmer folk tunes, the band “hurls the tradition of klezmer music into the rock era” (The New York Times).
Touring internationally to major venues and festivals including Carnegie Hall, the Library of Congress, Stanford Lively Arts, the Venice Biennale, Krakow Jewish Culture Festival, BBC Proms, Saalfelden Jazz Festival, the New Morning in Paris and many others has enabled Klezmer Madness! to leave a lasting impression on diverse music scenes around the world.
Krakauer occupies the unique position of being both one of the world’s leading exponents of Eastern European Jewish klezmer music and a major voice in classical music and avant-garde improvisation. His klezmer sound has been described by RootsWorld as “an electrifying amalgam of cozy Eastern European traditions, free-form jazz, and dissonant howls of rage and pain … a bittersweet statement of personal and collective race memory.”
Single ticket prices for the performance range from $12 to $38. Season tickets are also still available for all five concerts, ranging from $55 to $157. To purchase tickets, call the BGSU Arts Box Office at 419-372-8171. Or visit www.bgsu.edu/arts after Sept. 10 to purchase single tickets online.