Radiant Others: A Klezmer Music Podcast

Dan Blacksberg
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  • MUSIC INTERVIEWS
  • EVERY TWO WEEKS
Radiant Others: A Klezmer Music Podcast Podcast

Internationally renowned klezmer trombonist Dan Blacksberg sits down for in-depth and informal conversations with musicians and other artists whose work has made them an integral part of the klezmer world. Listeners get to go behind the scenes of the lives and work of the individual artists, and the modern history of klezmer music. We’ll talk about memorable moments in our artistic development, bring up wild performance stories, and ruminate what it’s like to be connected to this international community that makes up the klezmer world.

  1. 30 AUG

    Zisl Slepovitch & Stephen Naron – Fortunoff Video Archive

    Radiant Others is proud to present an episode on “Songs from Testimonies – Fortunoff Video Archive” Featuring musician and scholar D. Zisl Slepovitch and archivist Stephen Naron. This is the second in our informal series about people creating present day music working with archives. The archive that is the focus of this episode is the Fortunoff Video Archive at Yale University, which holds over 12,000 hours of video testimony with survivors of the Holocaust. In this project, Zisl Slepovitch and his ensemble featuring Sasha Lurje draw out the songs and poetry shared by the people being interviewed in a dynamic music and storytelling performance. They have produced three albums of this material, the latest being Shotn/Shadows, Songs from Testimonies, Volume 3. We dive into this very intense and serious music and music source by first relating it to our guests’ backgrounds, including Zisl’s wide ranging work and skills that made him the perfect person (as well as a highly in-demand New York musician!) for Stephen and the archive to work with in bringing these songs to the present. We talk about the scholarly and artistic process, and the ethical questions and responsibilities that must be navigated to do this work right. We also talk about the value of being able to present history, especially the history of catastrophes like the Holocaust as the stories of people’s lives, not just their deaths. Finally we invite all of you to listen to the music and to visit and make use of this vast and vital archive. Also! The Archive is having its first ever large scale exhibition of footage from the archive at the Beineke Rare Book & Manuscript Library at Yale, which runs though the end of January. Learn more here. More about Songs From Testimonies Listen to the music on streaming and at https://zisl.bandcamp.com/ Music on this episode: Shotns Hej Tam Na Gorce Yinete prosklitiryo ke Stavrou Voutira Une Fleur Au Chapeau Di Bone Radiant Others is produced by Dan Blacksberg and Beila Ungar. The Radiant Others podcast aims to be the internet’s central space for important conversations in Yiddish and Klezmer music. Please support our work on https://www.patreon.com/RadiantOthers Share Tweet Messenger

    1h 42m

  2. 26 JUL

    Alicia Svigals

    Today on Radiant Others, violinist, composer, bandleader Alicia Svigals. Since the 1980s, Alicia has been a major figure in the klezmer and Yiddish music worlds. She was a founding member of the Klezmatics, and took a lead role in bringing back attention to the traditional fiddle style of klezmer music, especially with her groundbreaking album Fidl. Her newest album, Fidl Afire (out on the Borscht Beat label), sees her back in the driver seat of a rocking klezmer band after many years. In the meantime, Alicia has remained at the forefront of Yiddish music, composing music for theater, silent films, and being a part of many major bands, such as Mikveh.    Dan and Alicia talk about her new record, and touch many other topics including how she developed her sound, and what it was like to foreground being an out lesbian in a different era.    The music in this episode includes: Music from Fidl Afire Music from Beregovsky Suite  An excerpt from the score of A City Without Jews    Please support our work by signing up at https://www.patreon.com/RadiantOthers Share Tweet Messenger

    1h 15m

  3. 28 JUN

    Susi Evans & Szilvia Csaranko

    This week on the Radiant Others Klezmer Music Podcast, Dan sits down to speak with Susi Evans & Szilvia Csaranko. Susi and Szilvia are stalwarts of the UK and German klezmer scenes who joined together as a duo in 2019 after meeting earlier at Yiddish Summer Weimar. Their latest release is Fun an Altn Klezmer Heft: Beautiful Music from Old Manuscripts, a 44-track, double album of tunes gleaned from their participation in the Klezmer Institute’s Kiselgof-Makonovetsky Digital Manuscript project. We encourage listeners to check out our Klezmer Institute episode for more on the history of that project.   Dan, Susi, and Szilvia talk about how we all got into klezmer and how learning by ear played a central role, especially for Susi and Szilvia, who grew up with classical training. And we talk about what it was like to work with these newly unearthed manuscripts, which meant returning to notated music. Alongside the issues surrounding notation, we talk about the duo’s other projects, including their 2020 release, the Klezmer Playbook. And we cover the challenges and complexities of teaching and communicating klezmer to different audiences.    This episode is the first in an informal series about how different klezmer artists make fresh music from archival sources. Stay tuned for more episodes featuring different archives and different artists!    Music in this episode: Hop Skochne Khosidl Moldovanisher Tants   Please support our work by signing up at https://www.patreon.com/RadiantOthers   Share Tweet Messenger

    1h 20m

  4. 31 MAY

    Sonia Gollance

    Today on Radiant Others, scholar and Yiddish dancer Sonia Gollance. Sonia is a scholar of Yiddish Studies and German-Jewish literature whose work focuses on dance, theatre, and gender. Her first book, It Could Lead to Dancing: Mixed-Sex Dancing and Jewish Modernity, was published by Stanford University Press in May 2021. It is a National Jewish Book Awards finalist and winner of a Choice Award for Outstanding Academic Title. She’s also been a regular lecturer and dance leader at klezmer festivals all over. We recorded this conversation in the fall to coincide with her book’s release in paperback last year. We talk about the themes and the research in her book, and how they relate to us as practitioners inside of the world that she is also researching. We talk a lot about how Yiddish dance and dancing by Yiddish speaking people was  a space for a lot of big ideas and experiences of Jews modernity to come crashing into each other in fascinating ways. We talk about what surprised Sonia in her research and she shares some that certainly surprised us! Needless to say, we’re excited for you to hear all about it and then go read her book. Buy Sonia’s Book!  Music in the episode: Nukh Gavdul’e/Simchas Toyre from Dan Blacksberg’s album Radiant Others Radiant Others is produced by Dan Blacksberg and Beila Ungar. The Radiant Others podcast aims to be the internet’s central space for important conversations in Yiddish and Klezmer music. Please support our work on https://www.patreon.com/RadiantOthers   Share Tweet Messenger

    1h 29m

  5. 19 APR

    Fran and Flora

    Today on the Radiant Others Klezmer Music Podcast, Dan speaks with Francesca Ter-Berg and Flora Curzon about their duo Fran and Flora and their new album entitled Precious Collection, out now on the Hidden Notes label. We talk about what it takes to make a band’s second record and how to stick together through their evolution as individuals and as a duo. We talk about how they choose repertoire and how they choose the collaborators who fill out the amazing sound of their new album. And we talk about navigating the music business, and how to juggle all these different and sometimes contradicting types of work. Dive in to this honest discussion about it all.    Multi-award-nominated experimental/folk duo Fran & Flora captivate audiences with their reinventions of traditional Eastern European melodies and songs. Francesca Ter-Berg (cello/vox) and Flora Curzon (violin/vox) draw inspiration from archival recordings, recovered manuscripts and studying with traditional masters, infusing source material with drones, loops, free improvisation and electronics to create a ‘border-defying’ aesthetic (Mojo).   If you are a regular at klezmer festivals around North America and Europe, you probably know these two amazing musicians from taking their classes or playing together in jams. They know their stuff and they are a big part of our Yiddish community. It was a pleasure to go deeper into their work, and to share this conversation with all of you.   Listen Precious Collection on Bandcamp and all streaming platforms Find out more about Fran and Flora at https://franandflora.com/ Music in this episode is all from Precious Collection, including: – Dobriden – Hamanul – Fishekekh Gefinen – To Catch a Fish – Hold Me Close Radiant Others is produced by Dan Blacksberg and Beila Ungar. The Radiant Others podcast aims to be the internet’s central space for important conversations in Yiddish and Klezmer music. Please support our work on https://www.patreon.com/RadiantOthers   Share Tweet Messenger

    1h 25m

  6. 07/07/2023

    Ilya Shneyveys

    Ilya Shneyveys is an international performer, accordionist and multi-instrumentalist, teacher, composer, arranger and producer of contemporary Jewish music. He’s one of the most in demand musicians on the klezmer scene and works in just about every setting imaginable, from the traditional to the most cutting edge. This episode is a “return to form” with Dan and Ilya having a free-ranging conversation that covers a wide range of topics. And even so, we only scratch the surface of all the amazing work Ilya does on the as a musician, a teacher and as a community builder. Go to https://ilya.shneyveys.com/ to find out lots more about what he’s up to! And if you’re in Brooklyn on July 12th, go see his psychedelic Yiddish fusion band Forshpil! Details here. Follow Ilya on Instragram and try to keep up with him. Music in this episode is Volekhl – from Forshpil‘s 2012 self-titled album Di Sapozhkelekh Tsvey from Forshpil:Tsvey (2022) Nishmat Kol Khay (“breath of all life”) – Performed live on zoom by Shekedina (Ilya Shneyveys and Sarah Myerson). DJ SHNEY feat Jake Shulman-Ment – “Frey with J” Radiant Others is produced by Dan Blacksberg and Beila Ungar. Please support our work on https://www.patreon.com/RadiantOthers Share Tweet Messenger

    1h 29m

  7. 16/06/2023

    Ira Khonen Temple

    Today on the Radiant Others Podcast, Dan speaks with Ira Khonen Temple. Ira is a multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, and embedded cultural organizer. Recent credits include accordionist for Fiddler on the Roof in Yiddish, and music director of Indecent at the Weston Playhouse, Great Small Works’ Muntergang and Other Cheerful Downfalls, the Aftselakhis Spectacle Committe Purimshpil, and Zoe Beloff’s Days of the Commune. Ira is a founder of the radical-traditional Yiddish music group Tsibele. Ira and Dan get into some really important topics around the culture of the Klezmer music world, some of Ira’s artistic practice and how Ira has learned and developed their repertoire. Music in this episode comes from Ira’s concert at the Jewish Museum of Maryland, as well as their collaboration with Laura Elkeslassy Follow Ira on Instagram and sign up for their newsletter to stay up to date with upcoming projects! Share Tweet Messenger

    1h 32m

  8. 02/06/2023

    Aaron Bendich/Borscht Beat

    Today on The Radiant Others Podcast we hear a conversation between Dan and Aaron Bendich, the founder of Borscht Beat, a multifaceted cultural project with a focus on Jewish Music. After a decade of collecting records, Bendich launched Borscht Beat as a radio program on WJFF Radio Catskill in early 2021 (listen to past programs here). A year later, Borscht Beat relaunched as a record label, and has since released 5 albums of contemporary klezmer and Yiddish song. Beyond his work in radio and on the label, Bendich is an active participant in the live Jewish music world, and promotes and photographs concerts in New York City and beyond. In this episode Dan and Aaron discuss how Aaron got interested in Jewish music and his path to founding Borsch Beat. They also get into the ins and outs of running a record label and some of the albums that have been released through Borscht Beat, which can be found on the label’s Bandcamp page. Music in this episode includes: Welcome to the Welcome (Zoe Aqua) Heron on the Wing (Michael Alpert and Craig Judelman) Mayn Heym (Tsvey Brider feat. Varetsky Pass) A Gute Vokh (Levyosn) Basura Dub (Shabbos Ranks) Yaass (Marv Kurz) Radiant Others is produced by Dan Blacksberg and Beila Ungar. Please support our work on https://www.patreon.com/RadiantOthers.   Share Tweet Messenger

    1h 13m
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About

Internationally renowned klezmer trombonist Dan Blacksberg sits down for in-depth and informal conversations with musicians and other artists whose work has made them an integral part of the klezmer world. Listeners get to go behind the scenes of the lives and work of the individual artists, and the modern history of klezmer music. We’ll talk about memorable moments in our artistic development, bring up wild performance stories, and ruminate what it’s like to be connected to this international community that makes up the klezmer world.

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