Ashkenaz Festival founding Artistic Director David Buchbinder is joined by accordionist Michael Ward Bergeman and multi-instrumentalist Mark Rubin in an adventurous and playful new trio. Together they bring the spirit of inquiry and experimentation into their earthy, deeply connected sounds. The musical tributaries flowing into this new ensemble include music of the Jews, Roma, African Americans (New Orleans and the Delta), the Riverboats, the Salons, and the Laboratories of the Mad Scientist. But that doesn’t tell you all of it. They work with these traditions in which they are deeply, authentically grounded to give voice to their connection with each other, to the ancestors and to the unseen Spirits.
David Buchbinder is a musician, composer, artistic director, producer, and cultural generator who has led (among others) the JUNO winning music groups David Buchbinder’s Odessa/Havana and the Flying Bulgar Klezmer Band, developed performance projects for major cultural institutions such as the Royal Conservatory of Music/Koerner Hall, created acclaimed scores for film, television theatre and dance, and founded the creativity-based community development organization Diasporic Genius.
Mark Rubin is a New-Orleans based instrumentalist and proud Southern Jew, known equally for his muscular musicianship and larger-than-life persona. With an accomplished 30+ year career, his talents range in genre and style, but he is perhaps best known for co-founding the notorious proto-Americana band Bad Livers, and his recent work as a first call tuba and bass player in the Klezmer scene.
Michael Ward Bergeman is a passionate performer, songwriter and composer, whose sensitive and creative approach to music making has led to performances and collaborations with world-class musicians and composers from across a wide range of genres. He aims to remain faithful to the spirit that unites many of the world’s richest music traditions, while continuing to develop his own unique voice.
