Ladder of Gold
Tue, Mar 25, 2008 at 9:30 PM
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First Unitarian Church
684 14th Street, Oakland, CA
Teslim (TesLEEM) means both ‘commit’ and ‘surrender’ in Turkish and features violinist Kaila Flexer and Gari Hegedus on various (mostly plucked) strings including Turkish saz, Iraqi oud, Greek lauoto and hand drums. This potent duo performs traditional music from Greece, Turkey and the Middle East as well as original music (by Flexer, Hegedus and others) inspired by these traditions. Ladder of Gold is the fruit of a City of Oakland grant and will feature Sephardic, Mizrahi and original music. Special guests include Shira Kammen and Julian Smedley, violins; Tobias Roberson, percussion and Liza Wallace, harp.
Kaila Flexer Kaila Flexer is a violinist, composer and producer She is best-known locally for having founded and produced Klezmer Mania!, a much-loved annual Bay Area event for over 10 years (1989-2002). She has been at the helm of bands such as Third Ear, Next Village and Kaila Flexer’s Fieldharmonik, ensembles that feature Flexer’s original material. As a composer, her work reflects her deep respect for folk music. She has performed both nationally internationally with her own ensembles as well as with groups including The Hollis Taylor-Kaila Flexer Duo, The Flexer-Marshall Duo, Club Foot Orchestra and KITKA Women’s Vocal Ensemble. She has recorded two CD’s of original music for Compass Records (Nashville) to critical acclaim.
Gari Hegedus plays violin and viola as well as a variety of stringed instruments from Greece and Turkey including lauoto, oud, saz and hand drums. In addition to playing in Teslim, he also performs with world music group Stellamara and Persian vocalist Hamed Nikpay. He has studied with oud master Naseer Shamma and has recorded and performed with Ross Daly. He has toured with the Mevlevi Dervish (Sufi) Order of America and continues to participate in Turkish ceremonial and devotional gatherings around the country.
This project is commissioned in part by the City of Oakland Cultural Funding Program