moving on up

One more change this summer: I've added a new accordion to my accordion family. I love my little blue 78-bass Giulietti but I was feeling the need to stand up to the big guys and not just the other accordions but to the big sound of the PKO brass section. After a thorough search I found my new buddy, a Federfisa, Marca d'oro, Americana. SHe has the full 128 bass buttons and 3 reeds for right variations. She's powerful and interesting and fun to play. Listen for her on future postings. --Elena, first accordion, PKO

String Section of the PKO

Since our return to the states the staff has taken advantage of an all too rare respite from touring and performing to develop more fully the PKO String Section, led by first chair guitar and guitar banjoist Bernard Greenwald assisted by sometime Klezmer great Matt (Maxie) Finck.

(This video features an audio clip from one of their sessions. Sorry, only photos of Bernard. Maxie, we gotta get you on film! --PKO blog editor)

finally -- PKO t-shirts

In between practice, jams and performances we have found time to finalize the PKO's logo design. With that momentous act of consensus comes our first t-shirts.

You may also have noticed that our new logo graces the top of this blog page.

OK, enough about the logo, back to making music.

summer o'klezmer

On tour, in performance and developing new material, the band has been remiss in making blog entries due to turnover in the PR staff.

Early in the summer we gathered at the Fisk Street Studio and played with our favorite singing percussionist from Putnam County , Riva Danzig and founding member, Woodstock's own, Alan Dubrow. This was in prep for doing a few numbers at Alan's housewarming, which we did a few weeks later.

In July Bernard and Elena began a course of study in ear training with the extraordinary clarinetist Conor Brown. Our experience with him was invaluable and provided an excellent foundation for our week at KlezKandada (more on that later).

OK, it is later. KLEZKANADA. It was great. Music, music and more music. We met klezmorim from all over Canada, the United States, New Zealand, Australia, Ukraine, Poland, Germany. We freely shared krechts, kvetches, grupettos, and trills punctuated with talking about music, making new friends to talk about music with, walking to play music, walking from playing music to have dinner where we talked more about music and about Yiddishkite and culture and music! The PKO was appreciative of a public masters' class critique from three other accomplished Klezmorim and attended workshops with the wonderful Ukrainian brass band, Konsonans Retro. BG performed an original avant garde cornet composition in the woods with Frank London's experimental class. Elena squeezed out numerous tunes in Josh Horowitz' accordion class and worked up to her first on-the-big-stage performance with the beginner's ensemble under the direction of virtuoso violinist Liz Johnson. Elena also collaborated with fellow accordionist, the charismatic Shana Greenstein, who has since launched her own group in ANn Arbor, the Klezmer Garage Band. We learned a lot. On the way back to New York we dropped the Oregon accordionist Martin Morgenbesser at his mom's place in the Adirondacks, talking shop during the drive when he could remain awake in the back seat of the Prius.
(photo: Josh Horowitz's accordion class with special visitor Pete Sokolow)

Late in the summer we had another great session with the fine violinist Craig Judelman. And by summer's end Elena began studies with Andriy Milavsky.

PKO in Canada

PKO in Canada: Responding to a rumor that secreted in the hermetic Satmar community of Montreal, Reb Philip Raphals, the legendary klezmer cellist, was still making the Hasids' payiss stand on end with his  haimish  schpieling asava  a groiseh , shainem fagel, our intrepid scouts were able to penetrate this tight  world of  caftans , shtriemls and tstsiss to seek him out.  We are proud to announce that Reb Phillip has agreed to appear with The PKO for several exclusive cameo appearances as guest star, North of the border. Stay tuned, Kinderlach

PKO Update: May performance and June auditions

At the end of May, the PKO played an important and much anticipated  gig at the 90th birthday party of Mintzie Kaminsky in the Bronx New York. It is well known that the Bronx is a hotbed of contemporary klezmer activity and the local bands were anxious to measure themselves  against acknowledged masters. The PKO all star line -up was enhanced by the rat-tat-tat  percussion magic of Riva Kaminsky on dumbek, and all present, though addled by generous servings  of  a rich chocolate cake, agreed that they swung fiercely.

PKO Personnel and Artistic Director, Professor Bernard Greenwald, and the lovely Orkester concert master, first accordionist, and creative director Elena, are always scouring the country (and internationally) for talented sidemen and woman to add to the Orkester. If there is a talented player out there they want to know why he or she is not playing for them.

 

That is why in mid June they hosted at Freilach Plaza in Red Hook NY, open auditions. A founding member of the PKO, Rozin Dubrow, the fiddle wizard joined them. They were accompanied that week by the paradisal paradiddles of Riva K on the skins.

the babka sessions

In March we celebrated of our lead horn player's birthday with a gathering of friends, a plethora of Babkas from Cohen's Bakery in Ellenville and some great music.