Wingograd

[klezmer <klezmer...>]

        Just a quick "yasher koyakh to Michael Wingograd and his group
Khevre for a remarkable concert last night in Cambridge, MA at the
Zeitgeist (sp? ) gallery.
        Michael/Khevre played mostly original compositions (Sarah Gordon's
and his own. Michael's getting quite good at setting music to the poetry of
a language he's just started to study - mameloshn!).  He plays w/ great
feeling - and w/ dynamics! He has a good sense of musical humor, his
arrangements are interesting and engaging and he has an enjoyable stage
presence.  He succeeds in fusing Yiddish music w/ non-Jewish forms - a feat
that, in my opinion, only 1 or 2 other bands have done, although many try.
I liked the sirba he wrote, as well.
        Not just him - his band - comprised of New England Conservatory
students - is quite talented.  Of special note is Dana Sandler on vocals.
She has just (this school year?) started singing Yiddish - "un ganz
nishkoshdik!" If she's this good at 6 months (a guess), wow, one can
imagine where she'll be over the next year!  Another mitzve from her
teacher Hankus Netzky.
        Early in the show, a young (3? 4?) audience member segued, on the
upbeat of the last note of the end of a piece, "How do they do it?"
Michael, it's not kosher to bribe such young kids!
        With young groups like this, Yiddish music is safe for at least
another 40 years!  Whew!

Dena Ressler

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