Klezmer king Dave Buchbinder and Cuban pianist Hilario Duran to meet under the aegis of the Ottawa Jazz Festival Nov. 26
Ottawa - Canada's capital, the seat of the high-tech North, the midway point between Odessa and Havana.
Uh...say what?
Please, no remedies for geographic dementia need be suggested. It's true - or at least, it will be, for one sure-to-be-memorable night, as the crown king of klezmer, Dave Buchbinder, holds court with Cuban piano prince Hilario Duran, November 26 at Dominion-Chalmers United Church, 355 Cooper Street.
The project began in 2006, when Buchbinder and Duran met while working on a CBC Radio project - a meeting that reaffirmed Buchbinder's conviction that the two musical styles shared considerable territory, an insight that first occurred to him during his formative years playing with Salsa bands in his native Toronto.
Soon, Buchbinder and Duran were each crafting cross-over compositions, and turning the cream of Canadian jazz's supporting crop on to their unique new sound: bassist Roberto Occhipinti, violinist Aleksandar Gajic, drummers Mark Kelso and Dafnis Prieto, percussionist Rick Shandfrach Lazar and clarinet and sax man Quinsin Nachoff.
Eager to test their new invention, Buchbinder and Duran decided to hit the road. Their upcoming tour kicks off November 21, in conjunction with the release of their debut CD Odessa/Havana (produced by the aforementioned Ochipinti.) Stops are scheduled across Canada, from Toronto's Lula Lounge to Alberta's Banff Centre - and, of course, in Ottawa, for that Ottawa Jazz Festival-sponsored one-nighter, an event so anticipated it's been moved from the modest 4th Stage of the National Arts Centre to the more sizeable Dominion Chalmers.
"This work flows into something that no one's ever heard before," maintains Buchbinder, no stranger to the crossbreeding of musical traditions. Over the years, Dave, the figure behind Canada's contemporary klezmer movement, has fused more things than an overworked welder. This particular project appears to excite him more than most, however.
It's due, no doubt, to the chance to collaborate with Duran, one of jazz's leading Latin composer/arrangers, and to the fact that, despite the music's two-headed appearance, it's steeped in the territory in which he feels the most comfortable; though klezmer is widely recognized as the sound of Eastern Europe, Buchbinder is quick to point out that it was originally Spanish, exported to Eastern Europe by Jews fleeing the notorious Inquisition.
If you dipped your Sunday morning bagel in a fresh dollop of salsa, eventually, the taste would grow on you. Odessa/Havana will give you that same effect - in a faster, more satisfying fashion.
The Ottawa Jazz Festival presents Dave Buchbinder and Hilario Duran, November 26, 2007, at 8 PM at Dominion Chalmers Church, 355 Cooper St., Ottawa, Canada. Reserved tickets are $30, general admission $25, and are available through the Ottawa Jazz Festival offices at 613-241-2633
