Special Concert: Hartzedike-Lider (Heart Songs) – Allan Merovitz & Brian Katz, Sun Jan 29

Sunday January 29, 4 pm, $10 at Artword Artbar, 15 Colbourne St, Hamilton. A special concert by singer Allan Merovitz and guitarist/pianist Brian Katz. Hartzedike-Lider (Heart Songs) —  the Yiddish song tradition meets jazz, blues and world music.  Hartzedike-Lider brings together well-loved Yiddish songs with original stories of Jewish Canadians. [Allan and Brian are also playing their Hartzedike-Lider show on Wednesday January 25 at 9 pm in Toronto at Mezzetta Cafe, 681 St Clair Ave W. at Christie http://www.mezzettarestaurant.com/events.php]
Since beginning their collaboration over ten years ago, Allan and Brian have been exploring the treasures of the Yiddish song tradition – “bluesing,” reharmonizing, and changing the forms, finding new riches in the music, new ways to communicate its riches. Allan Merovitz  is an accomplished singer as well as an actor and storyteller. He has recorded and toured North America and Europe with top klezmer and yiddish ensembles:  Toronto’s Flying Bulgar Klezmer Band, Ot Azoj from Amsterdam,  Simcha Klezmer Ensemble, with Martin van de Ven, Sasha Luminski and Monique Lansdorp. His musical playIf Cows Could Fly (an Artword Theatre production directed by Ronald Weihs), has been remounted several time, most recently at Irving Greenberg Theatre Centre in Ottawa and at Ashkenaz Festival in 2008.  http://www.artword.net/ifcowscouldfly  Allan most recently participated in Peace Project in Israel (a collaboration of Christian, Muslim and Jewish artists). Allan’s website: http://allanmerovitz.mosaicglobe.com/Brian Katz is an internationally acclaimed guitarist, pianist, recording artist, improviser, composer, and music educator. As a performer and composer, he is noted for bringing classical and world music influences to modern jazz and Jewish music. Bio at UofT for Brian Katz: http://www.music.utoronto.ca/faculty/faculty_members/instructors_f_to_m/Brian_Katz.htm