We wouldn't dream of knocking the Nutcracker, Santa Claus, and the rest—but maybe you need a little something else this holiday season? For example, a bisl rockin' klezmer or some soulful Sephardic music to tug at your heartstrings? To help celebrate the sixth and seventh nights of Hanukah, the Freight presents Pomegranates & Figs: A Feast of Jewish Music, featuring Alicia Svigals' Klezmer Fiddle Express: West Coast Edition and the Bay Area's own Teslim (Kaila Flexer & Gari Hegedus) with special guests.

Before the big klezmer bands of New York arose with their brass and clarinets, there were the archetypical Jewish orchestras of the old world, led by the fiddles and born aloft by the basses. Renowned New York violinist Alicia Svigals, a founder of the Klezmatics and the world's foremost klezmer fiddler, presents a program of those ancient and ecstatic Jewish melodies, accompanied by Moldovan accordionist Nicolai Prisacar and Daniel Fabricant on the upright bass. This is an unplugged roots group that sounds like a high-octane Jewish string orchestra!

Hosting the evening is the Bay Area string duo Teslim, featuring violinist Kaila Flexer and multi-instrumentalist Gari Hegedus. Kaila (the force behind the beloved Bay Area Jewish music event Klezmer Mania!) created Pomegranates & Figs to celebrate the rich diversity of Jewish music. Kaila and Gari are joined tonight by fiddlers Shira Kammen and Julian Smedley and percussionist Faisal Zedan for a vibrant set of Jewish and original music.

To make the evening even more heymish ("homey"), audience members are invited to schmooze, kibbitz, and nosh on a delectable array of sweets and savories before the concert and at intermission. What's not to like?

Kaila will be teaching the workshop Tab Rehab here at the Freight on Sunday, January 31 from 2:00 to 4:00 pm.

Visit Pomegrantes & Figs' website

Visit Alicia's website

Visit Teslim's website

Listen to a track from Alicia Svigals:

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Listen to a track from Teslim:

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