Jeni Jol ("New Path" in Macedonian) is the brainchild of Tev Stevig, who for the past year and a half has been exploring the potential of playing the fretless nylon string guitar in the clawhammer style. Clawhammer, or frailing, is typically associated with old time banjo, but Tev has been using this uniquely American playing style on the fretless guitar to arrive at new arrangements of his favorite tunes from the Balkans, Greece, and Turkey, as well as some original material. He was inspired to do this after listening to recordings of the great Turkish musician, Erkan Ogur (credited by many for having invented the fretless guitar), and shortly thereafter to banjo virtuoso Adam Hurt's recording "Earth Tones" in which he plays exclusively on a fretless gourd banjo. By combining Balkan, Middle Eastern and American traditions in this way, he hopes to create a new folk music that is both listenable and danceable.
Performing with Jeni Jol tonight are Tev Stevig (fretless clawhammer style guitar), Chris Veilleux (clarinet, ney), Helen Sherrah-Davies (violin), and Brian O'Neill (percussion)
The all-acoustic ensemble Kafana derives its name from a common term in the Balkans, meaning a place to happily gather to eat, drink, and listen to music. Kafana, the band, developed its repertoire over three years of weekly performances at a restaurant in Somerville, MA where it interpreted music from the Balkans, Greece, and Turkey. The ensemble now seeks to combine elements from these musical cultures with that of it's players to create modern American folk music: a cultural mashup of styles that is respectful of the traditions it draws on from without being musically shackled by authenticity. Kafana's new repertoire of Balkan and Turkish-influenced original compositions (much of it written by Tev Stevig) is a further development of this idea that continues to explore the borders of both American and world music.
While the ensemble most often consists of Tev Stevig (Klezwoods / Aljashu / plucked-string specialist) and Brian O'Neill (Mr. Ho's Orchestrotica / Klezwoods / CORDIS / Aljashu / La Tuza / percussion), the group often steals a variety of jazz, world, and folk musicians to round itself out. In addition to Stevig and O'Neill, the show at the Lily Pad (Cambridge, MA) will include Klezmer Conservatory Band bassist Jim Guttman, violinist Helen Sherrah-Davies, and Geoff Brown on mandolin (Hickory Strings).
This event is in the past, but were you there? leave a comment or photo on Facebook, or tag @orchestrotica on Twitter, or Instagram.
Jeni Jol
Performing with Jeni Jol tonight are Tev Stevig (fretless clawhammer style guitar), Chris Veilleux (clarinet, ney), Helen Sherrah-Davies (violin), and Brian O'Neill (percussion)
To hear Jeni Jol, visit www.tevstevig.com
Kafana
The all-acoustic ensemble Kafana derives its name from a common term in the Balkans, meaning a place to happily gather to eat, drink, and listen to music. Kafana, the band, developed its repertoire over three years of weekly performances at a restaurant in Somerville, MA where it interpreted music from the Balkans, Greece, and Turkey. The ensemble now seeks to combine elements from these musical cultures with that of it's players to create modern American folk music: a cultural mashup of styles that is respectful of the traditions it draws on from without being musically shackled by authenticity. Kafana's new repertoire of Balkan and Turkish-influenced original compositions (much of it written by Tev Stevig) is a further development of this idea that continues to explore the borders of both American and world music.
While the ensemble most often consists of Tev Stevig (Klezwoods / Aljashu / plucked-string specialist) and Brian O'Neill (Mr. Ho's Orchestrotica / Klezwoods / CORDIS / Aljashu / La Tuza / percussion), the group often steals a variety of jazz, world, and folk musicians to round itself out. In addition to Stevig and O'Neill, the show at the Lily Pad (Cambridge, MA) will include Klezmer Conservatory Band bassist Jim Guttman, violinist Helen Sherrah-Davies, and Geoff Brown on mandolin (Hickory Strings).
Connect with the band at Facebook.com/kafanamusic