Odessa Klezmer Band

Ed Goldberg

Jay Dubin

Joel Pecchioli

John Lesniak

Joel Pecchioli

Dennis Ionata


Barbara Goldberg









John Lesniak


Barbara playing a Middle Eastern drum called a darbuqua.

Last night, Daddy and Kay went to visit grandma in Trenton, while Liam and I planned our "Mommy and Me" time.

Liam and I made plans to attend the live music performance by the Odessa Klezmer Band at the Burlington County Library. We were first introduced to them 2 summers ago and loved them. (Click here to see the June 28, 2008 concert photos.)

The presentation was schedule to start at 7:00 p.m., but we arrived at 6:15 to enable us to get good seats. While there was already a crowd forming, Liam and I were able to score front-row seats! Woohoo! I recall that last time we attended, we arrived at 7:00 p.m, but the library was jammed-packed. The only seats we found were all the way in the back and the kids couldn't see the musicians. We ended up sitting in the floor, by a tree, which was uncomfortable, but gave us a better view of the performance.

Last night's presentation was outstanding. Each and every musical piece was better than the next, and had me foot-dancing and toe-tapping. Liam enjoyed the lively, exotic sounds and was totally engrossed in the experience.

Anyone that knows Liam knows that Liam has a short attention span and can't sit still for long periods of time; but I have to tell you that he sat quietly (without squirming) for the entire performance. As a side note, I have to add that during the 2008 concert, Dennis played the flugel horn, which Liam adored. As a result, he wants to learn to play the flugel horn, trumpet and clarinet. Had it not been for this free performance at the library, I don't believe that Liam would have been introduced to this wonderful music genre. I do have recordings by the Klezmatics, the Barry Sisters and also listen to the Klezmer station on AOL, but somehow the experience is different when experienced live.

But I digress, I must say that all of the musicians are at the top of their game. They played cohesively and stayed on-cue while still allowing Ed to improvise at will. A mere look at their faces and at their body language would tell you that they totally love what they are doing and are truly happy to share their joy with the audience. The audience, in return, hung to each note and word, and gave them their undivided attention.

I especially loved the performance by the clarinet player, JAY DUBIN, who attends the Cleveland Institute of Music. (Wishing you much success, Jay!) He not only played the music, but was immersed and driven by it. Liam was mesmerized by him and asked me how come he kept "dancing" around. I told him, "that my son, is the love of music."

During intermission, I approached Dennis, and had a nice chat. We were then joined by John, and both graciously agreed to pose for several photos. Dennis even let Liam hold his trumpet! (These are the only posed photos of the bunch!)

Anyway, the 2 hour performance went by like a quick blur. We thoroughly enjoyed it and highly recommend them. I hope that they return for a concert at the library next year! I am crossing my fingers... :)

If you'd like to learn more about the Odessa Klezmer Band, or want to book them for a private performance, check them out HERE.
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Odessa Klezmer Band

Sunday, Music

On Sunday we took the kids to the mall. We took Liam to the music store to see what instrument he would like to learn to play. He likes to sing and pretends to write music scores. On Sunday, he sat down at the table and "wrote" his masterpiece. He handed me a paper with squiggly music notes and the words to the Itsy Bitsy Spider. :) So cute.

He loves the clarinet, flugel horn and Bass typically found in klezmorim music. This all stems from last summer when we saw the ODESSA KLEZMER BAND playing at the Burlington County Library. At that time, I purchased a cd, which quickly became a favorite. I got to tell you, that we played that cd to death. It was our constant companion on our 14 road trips (yes, 14 trips to the Wild Safari/Great Adventure). The music was quick and happy so I'd drive though the entire trip so entertained that I didn't even mind driving.

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Sunday, Music

Odessa Klezmer Band

Bob mingling with the crowd; romancing the ladies. :)

I was anxiously awaiting today's arrival so I could go see Odessa Klezmer Band at the Burlington County Ampitheater. The shows was supposed to start at 7:00 p.m. outside but it started raining. They moved the presentation to the library. I got there around 6:45 and it was packed! The library was full of elderly people. In fact, there were only 4 children: Kaylie (7) Liam (6) and 2 other girls maybe 8 or 9. We had to sit all the way back and could hardly see anything. Then, a gentlemen approached us to tell me that the kids could go sit on the sidelines so they could actually see the performers; I was most grateful for his courtesy. So, we left our chairs in the back and moved to the sidelines. There were no chairs so we sat on the floor. But we could see the performers and that is all that mattered to us.

It was Kaylie's and Liam's first time watching a live musical show. What better way to introduce them to all kinds of music, than a Klezmer show. The music is so lively, happy and full of life that one can not help but sway in rhythm. Liam throughly enjoyed the music and looked like he had ants in his pants. Just kidding. He was just dancing and clapping along. :) It was heavenly.

During intermission, we had soda and pretzels. I also approached the band to congratulate them on their performance and bought a cd, which we played on the car immediately. From the sidelines, I took a few pictures. There wasn't enough lighting for the camera, even with the flash. While the photos are not the best, they are decent and the best under the circumstances. Sometimes is not so much the quality of the picture, as it is the mood and memory captured. It would have been nice to have been able to get high quality photos, but I just didn't want to obstruct anyone's view in order for me to get the pictures.

Anyway, the best way to highligh the photos was to turn them black and white and to keep the instruments in color as focal point. I love the way it looks. Don't you?

In you are ever in the Columbus, New Jersey area and have a chance to catch their show, go. You will enjoy it immensely.

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Odessa Klezmer Band