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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 joy—instead of being a destructive force... We wanted to take traditional, old dance forms and completely recast them to bring an overt ...
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: The Big Picture Featuring David Krakauer
by Glenn Astarita
It should come as no surprise that jazz musicians often spin some newfangled slants on compositions culled from Broadway theatrics and film. Other than renowned clarinetist David Krakauer's solo excursions for various record labels, his longtime affiliation with composer, saxophonist John Zorn, for a host of jazz- klezmer, and outside-the-box undertakings, bring quite a bit to the proverbial table. With dashes of New York City downtown-like risk- taking episodes, Jewish folk, jazz, rock and Americana, amid Krakauer's animated, vibrato-laden notes ...
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