The Shpil
Los Angeles, California, United States | SELF
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Klezmer Podcast 63- The Shpil. Violinist Claire Bergen is the leader of Los Angeles-based The Shpil. The band plays a mix of traditional and original music, plus some Klezmerized covers of other songs. The interview took place before their performance at HM157 in Los Angeles.
Run time: 25:00.
Posted March 11, 2010
The podcast can be heard at:
http://www.blubrry.com/player/?p=5543&e=681913
and on iTunes: Klezmer podcast 63 (free) - Klezmer Podcast by Keith Wolzinger
Discography
The Shpil (2011)
Photos
Bio
In Yiddish, "shpil" means to play an engrossing game, tell a captivating story, sing a beautiful song, give a rousing speech, make an irresistible sales pitch. In English, The Shpil is a cosmopolitan klezmer quintet based in Los Angeles that does all of those things and more.
Consisting of Claire Bergen (violin), John Graves (bass), Jessica Ruiz (clarinet/saxophone/vocals), Isaac Schankler (accordion), and T. J. Troy (percussion), The Shpil's members bring a unique blend of world, folk, rock, jazz and classical influences to the table (individual bios at www.theshpil.com). From our studies with the contemporary masters of klezmer (London, Alpert, Krakauer) to our travels to Poland, Serbia, Jordan, India and beyond to learn and perform, mutual connections in the L.A. 'World Music' community brought the band together in 2006-7.
Collecting songs from far and wide, The Shpil's repertoire ranges from authentic klezmer standards to downright obscure folk melodies to tongue-in-cheek pop covers to daring originals. Tight harmonies and propulsive beats drive our audiences to the dance floor, where whirling circles and Balkan dance steps are common occurrences (photos: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=152344&id=85169901584&ref=mf). From our field recordings of Romany national treasures and Polish village bands to late-night rehearsals featuring Isaac's brilliant accordion renditions of 80's pop songs, our influences reflect the multi-lingual mashup that is our cultural milieu.
Equally at home in bars and Bar Mitzvahs, The Shpil debuted in February 2009 at Café-Club Fais Do Do as one of the founding groups in The Unity Project, presenting world music events featuring diverse local artists. The flourishing local “Gypsy punk”/Balkan beat community quickly became a natural home, with performances at MALABOMBA!, LA's international dance party hosted by DJ Jason Savvy, and opening for LA's Fishtank Ensemble at Echoplex. In March 2011, The Shpil released its self-titled, self-produced debut album.
And that's The Shpil!
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