Klezmik got us all in the mood with a tasty and well-attended
set in the foyer between 1 and 2pm.
The class was attended by about 5 fiddles,
2 violas, 5 clarinets, accordion, mandolin, double bass, saxophone and a piano
(and their respective players). They came from all around the North West and it
was good to meet some new people (y'all come back soon now!).
In three hours
we went through 6 tunes. Ray brought dots along - most people were readers. For
some of the tunes he had written out different parts so that we could do harmonies.
The tunes illustrated a good cross-section of styles of Klezmer music. After playing
through them a few times we played without the music (Yes! it can be done!).
Ray
is a great fiddle player and a very cheery chap - he danced about while he was
playing his fiddle (sadly, I didn't manage to get a photo of him with playing
with both feet off the floor!). We liked him a lot and hope to get him
along to teach at the Klezbarn
events next year.
Ray Kohn biog
Ray started the original Sheffield
Klezmer Band in 1987. Since then, he has organised and taught numerous regional
and national klezmer workshops: arranging and composing music as well as playing,
and helping others play, the violin. He began, edited and distributed the first
national klezmer broadsheet (Klezmer Kontact) in the early 1990s. He attracted
the funding and organised a European Arts Festival in 1993, the highpoint of which
was the first Europe-wide Klezmer Bands competition. Ray is an enthusiastic musician,
an experienced teacher and practical organiser.
Many thanks to www.klezmercontact.org.uk
for this Biog
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