A NIGHT IN THE OLD MARKETPLACE is a collection of 21 songs by Klezmer giant Frank London with lyrics by Glen Berger. Performed by an array of stars including Manu Narayan, Lorin Sklamberg, They Might be Giants, Susan McKeown, and Craig Weddron, this extraordinary score mixes Jewish, jazz and world beats. London helped transform Jewish music through his work with The Klezmatics, the Hasidic New Wave, and his Klezmer Brass Allstars. Now he takes Klezmer solidly into the 21st century with this boldly original music created for Alexandra Aron's theatrical adapation of I.L. Peretz's Yiddish play.
The Klezmatics released the 2007 GRAMMY WINNING "Wonder Wheel" and "Happy Joyous Hanukah" set to Woody Guthrie poems. Latest recordings include Frank London's Klezmer Brass Allstars' "Carnival Conspiracy" which won a German Critics' Award, his soundtrack to Pearl Gluck's film "Divan", his solo recordings of cantorial music, "Hazonos", Hasidic New Wave's Belly of Abraham, and solo CDs Invocations and Scientist at Work. Featured on over 200 recordings, he has performed and recorded with John Zorn, LL Cool J, Mel Tormé, Itzhak Perlman, Lester Bowie's Brass Fantasy, LaMonte Young, They Might Be Giants, David Byrne, Gal Costa, Mark Ribot and Jane Siberry and on HBO's Sex and the City.
In addition to the aftermentioned bands he has founded, London has composed the musical Green Violin (winner, Barrymore Award 2003), the Jewish folk-opera A Night in the Old Marketplace (winner, Frederick Loewe award), the song-cycle An Alphabet in the Sky, Tony Kushner's A Dybbuk, John Sayles' The Brother from Another Planet, Pilobolus Dance Theater's Davenen, Pearl Gluck's Divan (Winner, Best Soundtrack, Monaco Film Festival),and Great Small Works' Memoirs of Glikl of Hameln.
Mr. London's film scores include music for The Shvitz, John Sayles' the Brother from Another Planet and Hombres Armados, Yvonne Rainer's MURDER and murder, A Brother's Kiss, The Debt, and many others. In addition to Pilobolus Dance Theater, he has composed dance scores for Yoshiko Chuma, Min Tanaka, Tamar Rogoff, Elisa Monte and more. Musicologist Joel Ruben called him the person most responsible for pushing the Klezmer revival in the world beat and fusion with rock and jazz, and Harvey Pekar said "London is a passionate intelligent soloist, one of the best jazz trumpeters to emerge since 1980".
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