Come on down to the Freight tonight and klez till you can klez no more! KlezExtravaganza is an evening of klezmer music from three of the Bay Area's most exciting and prominent groups, The Red Hot Chachkas, Kugelplex, and Steve Saxon and The New Klezmorim.

The Red Hot Chachkas, a Klezmer fusion band, have a sound that swings, shakes, and serenades. Led since 1997 by inspirational violinist Julie Egger, The Red Hot Chachkas include Barbara Speed (clarinet, sax, flute), Michael Arrow (drums), Tony Phillips (Mandolin), Aaron Seeman (accordion), and Breck Diebel (bass). The group plays traditional Eastern European dance tunes plus original compositions and improvisations, fusing the klezmer tradition with musical genres from old time to jazz to latin. The Chachkas recently released a new CD, Beats without Borders.

Playing exuberant, old-world soul music, Kugelplex features Jason Ditzian on clarinet, accordionist Dan Cantrell, David Rosenfeld on mandolin and violin, Marguerite Ostro on violin and vocals), bassist Eugene Warren, percussionist Michael Pinkham, and special guest vocalist, Jewlia Eisenberg. Formed in 2001, the group has performed with the Oakland Interfaith Gospel Choir and Klezmatics trumpeter Frank London, and recently led the Oakland Symphony in an epic 150-musician nign (wordless melody) at the Paramount Theater.

The New Klezmorim features Stephen Saxon on trumpet and vocals, Sheldon Brown on clarinet and saxophone, Jeanette Lewicki on accordion and vocals, and Richard Saunders on bass. The members of The New Klezmorim are veterans of KlezX, The Klezmorim, The San Francisco Klezmer Experience, The Gonifs, Omar Sosa, Chanticleer, Dan Hicks, Country Joe and the Fish, and many other ensembles. They were featured in a series of sold-out concerts in December with the San Francisco Symphony.

Visit the Red Hot Chachkas' website

Visit Kugelplex's website

Listen to a track from The Red Hot Chachkas:

[audio]757[/audio]