Anthony Russell (vocalist), Dmitri Gaskin (accordion), and Raphael “Raffi” Boden (cello) explore new musical idioms by combining two distinct older ones: African American spirituals and the music of Jewish Eastern Europe. Drawing from a diverse collection of folksongs, anthems, lullabies, art and religious music, Convergence mobilizes an array of historic genres to evoke a multi-diasporic sound. Early blues, Hungarian and Bessarabian klezmer, “old time” fiddle music, synagogue tunes and contemporary classical music combine to create a repertoire of songs authentically inhabiting the sounds and histories of two traditions.
Anthony Mordechai Tzvi Russell (vocals) is an interdisciplinary artist working in the medium of Yiddish language and culture. His work in Ashkenazi Jewish musical forms led to an exploration of his own ethnic roots through the research, arrangement and performance of a hundred years of Jewish and African American music. The result…Convergence. www.anthonyrussellbass.com
Dmitri Gaskin (accordion) is an instrumentalist, composer, and arranger specializing in klezmer and Polish and Romanian folk music. He performs regularly with the klezmer bands Baymele, Tsvey Brider (with Anthony Russell) and Saul Goodman’s Klezmer Band and had taught for KlezCalifornia.
Raphael “Raffi” Boden (cello) is a NY based cellist, composer and educator. He has been a guest artist at Yiddish New York, Yiddish Summer Weimar and KlezKanada. He has toured and performed in classical and chamber-jazz contexts as well. He performs regularly in New York and continues to work on singing in Yiddish! www.raffiboden.com
First Congregational Church105 Courtland St. NE Atlanta, GA 30303
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