Artist Bio:
A founding member of London's new wave breakbeat klezmer fusionists Oi-Va-Voi, Sophie Solomon is one of the leading young exponents of klezmer violin, fusing the traditional ornamentation and phrasing of the fidl technique of Eastern European Jews with a truly modern sound that incorporates the latest in electronic effects wizardry.
Sophie performs extensively with Oi-Va-Voi and as a solo artist, regularly plays and collaborates with Michael Alpert, Alan Bern, Zev Feldman, David Krakauer, Frank London, Gary Lucas, Maurice El Medioni, Momo, Smadj and DJ Socalled, among others.
Recent appearances include Klinkers Festival, Belgium, The Knitting Factory, New York and Dom Cultural Center, Moscow. At Krakow Festival of Jewish Culture 2002, she played alongside Klezmer Madness, The Klezmatics and Brave Old World to a crowd of over 10,000 people live on Polish television, and was critically acclaimed as "the revelation of the festival."
Socalled is said to be a magician, cartoonist, pianist, photographer, animator, DJ and beat-writer whose first hip-hop EP, The Socalled Seder, has been hailed as "one of the greatest works of Jewish music in years." His beats appear on Krakauer's award-winning album The Twelve Tribes and Frank London's Klezmer Brass Allstars' Brotherhood of Brass. He has produced tracks for many rap acts and is currently working on a remix for the upcoming New York Folksbeine's Kids in Yiddish album.
A happy day, a blessed day, when, over "Love song for Lemberg/Lvov," Krakman played shadkhn (marriage broker) and made the match, introducing Solomon, klezmer break-beatnik fiddler, to Socalled, master of matzo-deck. And so it was, via meshuga meeting of the mekhutonym, slivo-fuelled singalongs with Srulico and pickled cucumbers by the half-light of an icy Lower East Side dawn that klezmer saw the twinkle in hip-hop's eye. Proposals were made, a date set and invitations dispatched to the marriage of fidl and microphone. And in early summer guests flew to London from far and wide to witness this joyous day. From New York came Kracky; from Israel via Istanbul Reb Velvl Feldman; horns two Frank London and Susala Hoffmann-Watts dropped by; on guitar was Nik Ammar and, bearing Czeslaw's honey from remotest Sejny deep in the Polish borderlands, the Real Slim Litvak arrived to celebrate with his SlimLitvakette Sol-sister.
And thus, with lips puckered, valves oiled, strings tuned and glasses charged, the Digitallis Allstars Simcha Band began to play greeting the dearly beloved on the morning of the wedding with a Dobriden and a Sadugerer freylekhs (famous Eastern European Jewish wedding dance) to the khupe. —Courtesy Calabash Music
