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David Krakauer
Only a select few artists have the ability to convey their message to the back row, to galvanize an audience with a visceral power that connects on a universal level. David Krakauer is such an artist. Widely considered one of the greatest clarinetists on the planet, he has been praised internationally as a key innovator in modern klezmer as well as a major voice in classical music.
Known simply as “Krakauer” to his fervent following, he is nothing less than an American original who has embarked on a tremendous journey transforming the music of his Eastern European Jewish heritage into something uniquely contemporary. That journey has lead Krakauer to an astounding diversity of projects and collaborations ranging from solo appearances with orchestras to major festival concerts with his own improvisation based bands.
He has shared the stage with a wide array of artists such as the Klezmatics, Fred Wesley, Itzhak Perlman, Socalled, Eiko and Koma, Leonard Slatkin and Iva Bitova while being sought after by such composers as Danny Elfman, Osvaldo Golijov, David Del Tredici, John Zorn, George Tsontakis, Mohammed Fairouz and Wlad Marhulets to interpret their works. In addition, he has performed with renowned string quartets including the Kronos, Tokyo and the Emerson and as soloist with orchestras such as the Orchestre de Lyon, the Orquestra Sinfonica de Madrid, the Phoenix Symphony, the Brooklyn Philharmonic, the Dresdener Philharmonie and the Detroit Symphony, among many others.
Writer Mark Stryker hinted at the visceral nature of Krakauer’s performance in his Detroit Free Press review: “Krakauer played with astounding virtuosity and charisma. A furiously improvised cadenza leapt between low and high registers in a way that suggested John Coltrane, building to an excited peak. After the concerto he also offered an encore, improvising by himself with an air of ritual, before playing a swift klezmer dance with the orchestra.”
Having been showered with accolades for his groundbreaking work in classical, klezmer and jazz, Krakauer now finds himself at an artistic crossroads and is ready to make a daring leap into a new phase in his career. His next project, The Big Picture, may be his most adventurous to date. With an all-star crew of fellow musical renegades, Krakauer is re-imagining familiar themes by such renowned film music composers as John Williams, Marvin Hamlisch, Randy Newman, Wojciech Kilar and Vangelis, as well as interpreting melodic gems by the likes of Sidney Bechet, Sergei Prokofiev, Mel Brooks, Ralph Burns, John Kander & Fred Ebb and Jerry Bock that have appeared in popular films. Having already contributed to films by directors Ang Lee and Sally Potter, Krakauer now takes on the challenge of bringing a modernist vision to tunes that resonate on a deeply emotional level with generations of moviegoers.
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David Krakauer & Kathleen Tagg: Mazel Tov Cocktail Party!
by Chris M. Slawecki
When David Krakauer and Kathleen Tagg announced the release of Mazel Tov Cocktail Party! , they included this accompanying statement: This project riffs off a slip of the tongue by a conservative pundit who called Molotov Cocktails Mazel Tov" Cocktails. We were tickled by the imagery of a Mazel Tov Cocktail" lighting up the world with hope and joyinstead of being a destructive force... We wanted to take traditional, old dance forms and completely recast them to bring an overt ...
read moreBird Songs, Tripping Fantásia, Real Harmony & Klezmer-Hop
by Chris M. Slawecki
Alex Bird & the Jazz Mavericks You Are the Light and the Way Self-Produced 2021 You Are the Light and the Way presents an interesting challenge for a writer. Twelve new songs by Canadian vocalist Alex Bird (lyrics and music) and keyboardist Ewan Farncombe (music and arrangements) consistently sound like new songbook classics"--in several places, as if Harry Connick Jr. magically composed music with Johnny Mercer. Bird, Farncombe and the ...
read moreDavid Krakauer, Julie Sassoon, Maximilian Hering, Kamasi Washington & More New Releases
by Ludovico Granvassu
If you need certainties to anchor your life in these confusing times, purchase the latest album by David Krakauer and you'll find that there are a few things that never fail to bring joy. The same goes for the heart-warming, and leg warming, old school soul and funk that is featured on this playlist, and the compelling projects by a number of international bands which guarantee a rewarding listening experience. Wrapping things up, the latest by Kamasi Washington.Happy ...
read moreAbraham Inc.: Together We Stand
by Chris M. Slawecki
"Ever since I formed Klezmer Madness! in the mid 1990's I've been exploring the possibilities of adding funk, jazz, and lately hip-hop influences to klezmer," explains David Krakauer, an expert clarinet voice in jazz, klezmer and classical music. So, when Krakauer learned during a 2005 tour with pianist, accordionist, singer, rapper, composer and producer Josh Socalled" Dolgin that a friend of a friend was performing with Fred Wesley, the clarinetist determined to meet the trombone player to discuss exploring potential ...
read moreKrakauer's Ancestral Groove: Checkpoint
by Chris M. Slawecki
Clarinet master David Krakauer was born in raised in New York City. As he spread his considerable chops throughout NYC's classical, electronica and jazz scenes, he became known as a Klezmer specialist but just as often appeared as a soloist or member of various symphony orchestras, string quartets and chamber ensembles alongside a head-shaking variety of artists--Tzhak Perlman, Fred Wesley, John Zorn, the Kronos Quartet, Natalie Merchant, the Klezmatics, and many others. It's been just over 25 years ...
read moreKrakauer's Ancestral Groove: Checkpoint
by Glenn Astarita
Here, clarinetist David Krakauer derives influences from life's experiences and encounters, in alignment with his East European roots. And his Ancestral Groove outfit is once again up for the occasion. He's also revered for his important role in the New York City downtown scene amid stints and recordings for saxophonist, composer John Zorn's Tzadik records label. Krakauer's line of attack is often steeped in articulate formations of Klezmer, jazz and experimental processes. Indeed, he's a gifted technician and distinct stylist. ...
read moreKrakauer's Ancestral Groove: Checkpoint
by Dan Bilawsky
Clarinetist David Krakauer has been exploring his Eastern European Jewish background through music for the past quarter century. He's managed to touch on his roots in varied ways during that time, tapping into Jewish history with some help from the Kronos Quartet on The Dreams And Prayers Of Isaac The Blind (Nonesuch, 1997), finding common ground for the work of the great Sidney Bechet and klezmer clarinetist Naftule Brandwein on Klezmer, NY (Tzadik, 1998), interpreting the music of John Zorn's ...
read moreDavid Krakauer's The Big Picture CD And Cinematic Concert At The Museum Of Jewish Heritage In Downtown Manhattan
Source:
Antje Hübner
CLARINET VIRTUOSO DAVID KRAKAUER ANNOUNCES THE RELEASE OF HIS MOST ADVENTUROUS CD TO DATE THE BIG PICTURE" AVAILABLE IN STORES AND ONLINE FEBRUARY 18, 2014 David Krakauer, clarinet Jenny Scheinman, violin Adam Rogers, guitars Rob Burger, keys, organ, accordion, vibes Greg Cohen, double bass Jim Black, drums, percussion Sheryl Bailey, guitar Nicki Parrott, double bass Keepalive, sampler THE CD RELEASE COINCIDES WITH A MONTH-LONG ENGAGEMENT AT ...
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From Carnegie Hall To Lower Manhattan - David Krakauer Brings His Clarinet Mastery To The Stone; September 24-29, 2013
Source:
hubtone PR
New York - A major artist of great renown, clarinetist David Krakauer showcases his virtuosity in an intimate setting. He brings his unique sound to a week-long residency at The Stone, John Zornʼs downtown hot spot in lower Mahattan.
As well as being a significant voice in the classical world, Krakauer is considered to be one of the most important innovators in Jewish klezmer music; contextualizing the ancestral sounds of his Eastern European roots for the 21st century. All of ...
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David Krakauer releases Pruflas: The Book of Angels Vol. 18 Music by John Zorn on Tzadik Records
Source:
Jensen Artists
Clarinetist David Krakauer, praised internationally for his astounding ability to play in a myriad of music genres with “prodigious chops” (The New Yorker) and “soulfulness and electrifying showiness” (The New York Times), has recorded for the Tzadik label a collection of tunes selected especially for him to play by John Zorn from his milestone work, The Book of Angels. The Book of Angels is the second book of 300 songs for Zorn’s band, Masada, composed over a period of a ...
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duoJalal CD Release Concert 4/27 at Drom (NYC) featuring David Krakauer and Glen Velez
Source:
AMT Public Relations
Acclaimed Artists Kathryn Lockwood + Yousif Sheronick with Special Guests David Krakauer + Glen Velez duoJalal performs LIVE in concert Wednesday, April 27th @ 8:00PM at DROM (85 Avenue A, Train F to 2nd Ave). Tickets: $15/Advance $12. To purchase tickets, please visit www.dromNYC.com or call 212.777.1157. If this is what world music's future holds, bring on the party." Toronto Star NEW YORK - duoJalal, the musical pairing of Australian-born classical violist Kathryn Lockwood and her husband, American/Lebanese world percussionist ...
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Clarinetist David Krakauer's Klezmer All Star Bash at Carnegie Hall
Source:
Michael Ricci
The Wild and Woolly Music of the Shtetl, in All Its Infinite Variety.
The clarinetist David Krakauer, the artistic director of Klezmer All-Star Bash at Carnegie Hall on Thursday, taking the stage to play a number with the Klezmatics, one of the evenings acts.
What comes after a revival? Thats the question that a generation of klezmer-loving, mostly Jewish musicians has been exploring for the last few decades, not least at Klezmer All-Star Bash, a concert on Thursday night at ...
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David Krakauer's Klezmer Madness! Northwest U.S Tour Schedule
Source:
All About Jazz
The music on Bubbemeises: Lies My Gramma Told Me--the new Label Bleu CD that teams David Krakauer with Jewish hip hop beat architect Socalled--is not your gramma's klezmer. Unless gramma likes remixed Hasidic chant, klezmer tributes to James Brown, and an in-your-face raving battle for reinvented Jewish identity. See Klezmer Madness! at the following venues: San Francisco: *Dec 10th at 8pm- w/special guest Uri Caine Herbst Theater; 401 Van Ness Ave (Presented by San Francisco Performances) *Dec. 11th at 3:00pm ...
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Klezmer Clarinetist / Composer David Krakauer Releases New CD "The Twelve Tribes" On Label Bleu
Source:
All About Jazz