World-Renowned Klezmer Superstars Perform with Boo Reiners and Celtic Vocalist Susan McKeown as Special Guests

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 21, AT 8 PM

Concert Sponsored by Smith Barney

The Klezmatics, world-renowned superstars of the klezmer world, headline a Happy Joyous Hanukkah concert with special guests Susan McKeown, one of the most powerful and distinctive voices in Irish music, and versatile instrumentalist Boo Reiners on Thursday, December 21, 2006 at 8 p.m., at Walt Disney Concert Hall. Blending sounds from aching shtetl melodies to raucous Latin stomps, soulful boogie-woogie, and Yiddish labor songs, the Klezmatics present a contagious celebration of Hanukkah, marrying their soulful and ebullient Jewish roots to Woody Guthrie's poignantly mesmerizing and newly discovered lyrics. This program highlights the multi-cultural folk sounds of their two most recent CD releases, the Grammy-nominated Wonder Wheel and the ecstatically danceable, hoe-down worthy Woody Guthrie's Happy Joyous Hanukkah. The evening is part of the Los Angeles Philharmonic Association's annual Deck the Hall series of holiday presentations.

The Klezmatics erupted out of New York City's East Village in 1986 and revitalized klezmer for the new century. Their klezmer is steeped in Jewish spiritualism and Eastern European tradition while incorporating more provocative themes such as social rights and anti-fundamentalism with eclectic musical influences, including gospel, punk, and Arab, African, and Balkan rhythms. Over the course of nearly 20 years, they have released six albums, forever redefining and transcending traditional labels.

Deck the Hall, presented by the Los Angeles Philharmonic Association, is a series of festive performances throughout the month of December (including two concerts on New Year's Eve) featuring an array of exceptional artists offering seasonal music. Other Deck the Hall Escovedo Family's Latin Holiday Celebration on Friday, December 22, 8 p.m.; Holiday Sing-Along on Saturday, December 23, 2 p.m.; The Blind Boys of Alabama on Saturday, December 23, 8 p.m.; and two New Year's Eve performances by Lyle Lovett at 7 and 10:30 p.m.

THE KLEZMATICS have collaborated with numerous musical luminaries such as Arlo Guthrie, classical legend Itzhak Perlman, Ben Folds, Israeli icons Chava Albertstein and Ehud Banay, beat legend Allen Ginsberg, avant-garde experimentalist John Zorn, the Master Musicians of Jajouka, Nubian Egyptian percussionist Mahmoud Fadl, and Kosher-Gospel singer Joshua Nelson. Their collaborations have extended to numerous theatrical, film, dance, and television projects, including Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Tony Kushner's A Dybbuk and It's An Undoing World. The Klezmatics have reached millions through performances and features on Late Night with David Letterman, PBS' Great Performances, BBC's Rhythms of the World, BBC's John Peel Show, various NPR programs (A Prairie Home Companion with Garrison Keillor, New Sounds Live, and Soundcheck), CBS Nightwatch, FOX After Breakfast, MTV News, and Sex in the City. Additionally, their song "NY Psycho Freylekhs" is a theme song for Air America Radio's The Al Franken Show. They have performed in over 20 countries at some of the most storied venues and renowned festivals worldwide, including Central Park Summerstage, Carnegie Hall, Pirineos Sur (Spain), Colours of Ostrava (Czech Republic), Pohoda Festival (Slovakia), Jazzsomer Graz (Austria), and the Heimatklänge Festival (Germany), among many others. The Klezmatics have garnered numerous awards and accolades throughout their career, including a GLAMA (Gay and Lesbian American Music Award) and the German Critics Award (twice), and they have topped the Billboard world music charts on numerous occasions.

SUSAN McKEOWN hails from Dublin, Ireland, and as an adventurous vocalist and producer, she has established herself not only as an sensitive interpreter of traditional song, with one of the most powerful and distinctive voices in Irish music, but also as a woman who rocks. Her often-dark lyrics draw influences from sources as far flung as the ancient Irish legend of the Táin, the words of Chief Seattle, the poetry of Emily Dickinson and Samuel Taylor Coleridge, and urban life in Manhattan. McKeown has been praised in the pages of Time and Rolling Stone, and has performed on the nationally syndicated radio programs A Prairie Home Companion, All Things Considered, Mountain Stage, and The Infinite Mind, as well as on the nationally televised CBS This Morning and Sessions At West 54th as the guest of Natalie Merchant. McKeown has toured internationally with her band The Chanting House and is currently touring with The Klezmatics during their Wonder Wheel and Happy Joyous Hanukkah tours.

BOO REINERS originally hails from Richmond, VA where early on he discovered the five-string banjo and bluegrass music. He attended Boston's Berklee College of Music and eventually moved to New York City, where he was a member of the critically acclaimed rock act Sweet Lizard Illtet (Warner Bros. Records). Reiners has recorded and toured nationally as well as internationally with his group Demolition String Band and has played as sideman with a variety of artists including Charlie Louvin (The Louvin Brothers), Laura Cantrell (including a performance at the Grand Ole Opry in '03), Michael Leonhart (Steely Dan, Lenny Kravitz), and The Klezmatics.

The Los Angeles Philharmonic Association, under Music Director Esa-Pekka Salonen, presents the finest in orchestral and chamber music, recitals, new music, jazz, world music and holiday concerts at two of the most remarkable places anywhere to experience music - Walt Disney Concert Hall and the Hollywood Bowl. In addition to a 30-week winter subscription season at Walt Disney Concert Hall, the LA Phil presents a 12-week summer festival at the legendary Hollywood Bowl, summer home of the Los Angeles Philharmonic and home of the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra. In fulfilling its commitment to the community, the Association's involvement with Los Angeles extends to educational programs, community concerts and children's programming, ever seeking to provide inspiration and delight to the broadest possible audience.

EDITORS PLEASE NOTE:

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 21, 2006, AT 8 PM

WALT DISNEY CONCERT HALL, 111 S. Grand Avenue, Los Angeles

Deck the Hall

The Klezmatics: Happy Joyous Hanukkah

THE KLEZMATICS

SUSAN MCKEOWN, special guest

BOO REINERS, special guest

Concert Sponsored by Smith Barney

Tickets ($15 - $79) are on sale now online at LAPhil.com, at the Walt Disney Concert Hall Box Office, or via credit card phone order at 323.850.2000. A limited number of $10 rush tickets for seniors and full time students may be available at the Walt Disney Concert Hall Box Office two hours prior to the performance. Valid identification is required; one ticket per person; cash only. Groups of 12 or more may be eligible for special discounts for selected concerts and seating areas. For all information, please call 323.850.2000.

# # #