NEW JEWISH CONCERT SERIES IN CHICAGO TO FEATURE GENRE-BENDING PERFORMERS

Untraditional Jewish musical acts highlight the second season of KFAR Jewish Arts Center's TZITZIT: VOICES FROM THE JEWISH FRINGE, a concert series exploring the threads that tie the ancient to the avant-garde, beginning with NYC's Pharaoh's Daughter.

Kicking off this years series is Pharaohs Daughter, an ensemble at the vanguard of the New Jewish Music movement in New York. Leader and oudist Basya Schechters lilting vocals are informed by Hasidic tradition, her strict Orthodox upbringing, and her unorthodox approach to Jewish music. Her musical journey began in Israel, where her spirituality and creativity found an inspiration that grew with travel and study in Morrocco, Egypt, Central Africa, Turkey, Kurdistan and Greece.

Schechters wanderlust supplied a wealth of sounds and textures that she layered over traditional English, Hebrew, Yiddish and Ladino texts. Her band, Pharaohs Daughter, is a melange in which Malian melodies meet Hasidic chant, Indian tabla music dances with klezmer, and African percussion propels King Solomons Song of Songs. Its a natural fit, taking the Jewish texts back to their Middle Eastern origins, and Schechter is a compelling vocalist who navigates the snakelike melodies with ease. The resulting Jewish Fusion is a stirring study in musical contrast of east and west that is at once ancient, contemporary and sonically captivating. This concert is presented with support from Spertus Institute.

Other acts appearing in the Tzitzit Series series later this year include:
·   Ladino Blues singer Sarah Aroeste
·   Jewish folk rockers Evën ShSiyah
·   Black/Jewish Big Band The Afro-Semitic Experience
·   Sun-Ra inspired cosmic-klezmers Rabbinical School Dropouts
·   John Zorn protégé Danny Zamir and his Israeli jazz ensemble Satlah, and
·   The Jewish reggae and ska of King Djangos Roots and Culture.
·   Shows will be held at HotHouse, Beat Kitchen, The Note and other venues.

Vital Event Information for Listings:

Who:   Pharaohs Daughter
What:   Eclectic Jewish Middle Eastern Fusion
Where:   HotHouse, 31 E. Balbo (South Loop)
When:   8:30 pm* Sunday, October 19, 2003 *1 hour after end of Simchat Torah
Admission:   $10 in advance, $12 at the door
   Advance tickets available at www.ticketweb.com, or at retail outlets:
   HotHouse, Rosenblums Judaica, Spertus Institute of Jewish Studies.
###