Journey into Klezmer: From the Wild East to West Philly November 9, 2006

FROM THE WILD EAST TO WEST PHILLY:
A JOURNEY INTO KLEZMER
An evening with the acclaimed French Jewish graphic novelist
Joann Sfar author of the new book, Klezmer: Tales of the Wild East , heralded as "deeply suffused with Jewish religious and ethnic identity . . . profane, messy, jagged and wildly enthusiastic, much like klezmer itself."

When: Thursday, November 9
7:00 – 9:00 pm

Where: Hillel's Steinhardt Hall
University of Pennsylvania
Locust Walk at 39th Street

Free to the public -- everyone welcome!

Sfar will share tales and images from his prolific body of work. Come discover the colorful history of klezmer music… and shake your tuchas to a live performance by rocking international klezmer superstars all in one magical evening! The performance will feature amazing Philly musicians: Rachel Lemisch, Jason Rosenblatt, & Ilana Sherer. Followed by a book signing with the author.

Check out reviews & images from the book: www.firstsecondbooks.com/klezmer.html

For more info: [email protected] or 215-222-2432.

Sponsored by Bindlestiff Books, Congregation Leyv Ha'ir, Kol Tzedek West Philadelphia Synagogue, University of Pennsylvania Hillel Cultural Committee, University of Pennsylvania Jewish Studies Colloquium, and Youngish and Yiddish.

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About the author:

The prodigious French Jewish graphic novelist Joann Sfar has over 100 books in print and an international following among readers of all ages. The son of a Sephardic father and an Ashkenazi mother, Sfar continues to harvest incredible riches from his twin bloodlines. In his bestselling _The Rabbi's Cat_, he took us to his paternal country of Algeria; now, in _Klezmer_ he steeps us in the music, pathos, and relentless adventure of his mother's Eastern European heritage.
About the book:

Meet Noah Davidovich, dubbed "The Baron of My Backside" and his unlikely band of musicians: Chava, a young woman who follows The Baron away from her remote village; Yaacov, a favored student whose rabbi has banished him from his yeshiva; Vincenzo, a wandering Italian fiddler; and Tshokola, a gypsy pursued by Cossacks - all unforgettable new characters from the inimitable Joann Sfar.
In a startling, loose watercolor style, Sfar evokes the Jewish communities of pre-World War II Eastern Europe and the itinerant klezmer musicians who performed at celebrations, festivals, and cabarets. Following in the tradition of Isaac Bashevis Singer's short stories and rambling Yiddish folktales, Sfar's colorful characters personify the multifarious influences that have poured into the music of klezmer.
Klezmer is at once dark and light hearted, tragic and hilarious, violent and tender - and Sfar himself never ceases to amaze, to surprise, and to defy categorization.