The London Klezmer Quartet

January 29th 2013 22:45

The London Klezmer Quartet
5 Week Australian Tour

The London Klezmer Quartet (LKQ) return to Australia for a five-week national tour of the festival circuit and major venues from 28 February. And they have a hot new album with them!

In "stylish performances from four highly accomplished and in-demand musicians'" (Folk Roots Magazine) this all-female band will take Australian concert and festival audiences on a Jewish musical odyssey from Eastern Europe to Australia via the Balkans, Thailand, Turkey, the US and London.

Klezmer is the traditional celebratory and soulful music of Jewish Eastern Europe. From kley zemer (Hebrew: vessels of song) - music that kept Yiddish wedding parties on their feet for days!

Ilana Cravitz (fiddle), Susi Evans (clarinet), Carol Isaacs (accordion), and Australia's own Indra Buraczewska (double bass) bring world music fans and fine music lovers the whirling, irresistible energy of Klezmer. You will want to laugh, to cry, and most of all... to dance!

The London Klezmer Quartet is a dynamic group of performers much in demand on the UK folk, world and pop music scenes.

Ilana Cravitz, violin As a classically trained violinist with post-graduate studies at the Royal College of Music, London, Ilana has developed an extraordinary talent for playing klezmer fiddle and is highly respected as a performer and educator in this tradition. Her book, Klezmer Fiddle - A How-To Guide, is published by Oxford University Press, and is described by Folk Roots magazine as "the best exposition I've come across of Eastern European-style Jewish fiddle playing... Highly recommended." She has introduced hundreds of people of all ages to klezmer through her playing and via courses and workshops at universities and conservatoires, and at events like the Genius of the Violin Festival and Fiddles on Fire. She is also specializes in dance calling for klezmer keilidhs under the banner 'Hopkele'.

Susi Evans, clarinet Susi's performances have inspired press reviews remarking on her "nimble solo features and excellent tone control" (The Scottish Herald), and "infectious enthusiasm" (Oxford Times). Susi also fronts She'koyokh - a band she co-founded 10 years ago that not only enjoys a considerable following in Europe, but also was nominated for Best Group in the Songlines World Music Awards 2012 and will be performing on the BBC Radio 3 stage at WOMAD this year (2012). Susi also appears regularly on the West End stage in the award-winning show War Horse and is much in demand for concerts and recordings with international artists. She graduated from the Royal Academy of Music with a first class degree in 2004 and has studied in Istanbul with acclaimed clarinettist Selim Sesler.

Carol Isaacs, piano accordion A classically trained pianist, Carol works as a keyboard player and accordionist in the pop and world music fields. She has recorded and toured with many international artists including Sinead O’Connor (Ireland), The Indigo Girls (US), Bonnie Raitt (US), Joan Baez (US), Jackson Browne (US), Sam Brown (UK), Squeeze (UK), Midge Ure (UK), Latin Quarter (UK), Robert Palmer (UK), Natacha Atlas (Egypt), Sheik Taha (Egypt), Ahmed Mukhtar (Iraq), Abdel Ali Slimani (Algeria), Guesch Patti (France), Phongsit Khampee and Surachai Janthimatorn (Thailand).

Indra Buraczewska, double bass After graduating from the Victorian College of Arts (Australia) as a classical violinist, Indra discovered the wonderful world of the bass. She has played a multitude of genres, from original pop and Balkans to jazz and funk. Touring throughout Europe, Indra has played at the Edinburgh and Galway festivals, and in Australia has appeared at major festivals including Woodford, the Falls Festival, Earthcore and the National Folk Festival. She played bass for the gypsy trio Vardos for the past six years and is currently a member of an exciting new Balkans quartet Byzantine Blue. Indra first joined the London Klezmer Quartet for their 2012 Australian tour and features on their new album, Butterfield Green, N16, recorded in London in September 2012.

2013 Australian Tour Program:

28 Feb Kulcha, Fremantle (WA)

1 Mar Bunbury, Eliot St Bar, Burlington Hotel

2-3 Mar Nannup Music Festival (WA)

7 Mar Melbourne Recital Centre (Salon auditorium) SOLD OUT!

8-11 Mar Port Fairy Folk Festival (VIC)

13 Mar Sydney Jewish Museum (NSW)

14 Mar Camelot (Sydney)

15-17 Mar Blue Mountains Music Festival (NSW)

17 Mar Camelot (Sydney)

18 Mar Sydney Conservatorium w'shop

22 Mar Castlemaine State Festival (VIC)

23 Mar Brunswick Music Festival (VIC)

24 Mar Famous Spiegeltent, Arts Centre Melb.

24 Mar House Concert (Glen Iris, Melb.) for bookings contact Pam Harris pamharris@bigpond.com

25 Mar Melba Hall (Melb.) Lunch hour concert

28 Mar-1 Apr The National Folk Festival (Canberra)