PUTNEY — Next Stage's Bandwagon Summer Series presents Danish klezmer-jazz fusion ensemble Mames Babegenush Friday, July 29, 6 p.m. at the Putney Inn.
“It's an honor to host international touring artists like Mames Babagenush,” Keith Marks, Executive Director of Next Stage Arts, said in a news release. “The opportunity to dance to their interpretations of Balkan/klezmer music is exciting. This region doesn't get to see artists like this very often, and we are thrilled to host them on their tour of the United States."
The music of Mames Babegenush is described as “a sonic crossroads where east unexpectedly meets [...] north!” The young Danish band's fusion marries their Scandinavian roots and elements of jazz with the dance music and klezmer traditions of eastern Europe. “From the contemplative ambiance of Nordic snowscapes to the lively weddings of Romania, the music of Mames Babegenush exudes a sense of both poignant melancholy and irresistibly danceable exuberance.”
Since forming in Copenhagen in 2004, their list of awards includes the Danish Music Award for Best World Album of the Year and three prizes awarded by the prestigious International Jewish Music Festival in Amsterdam, including the Jury and Audience Prizes.
In 2020, Mames Babegenush was selected for one of the official showcases at WOMEX (the World Music Expo) in Tampere, Finland. Their performance was filmed by Finnish Television and broadcast nationwide. In 2020, the band was also an official selection for the Mundial Showcase at the APAP Conference in New York and the Folk Alliance Conference in New Orleans.
The band is comprised of Andreas Møllerhøj on double bass, Lukas Rande on saxophone, Henrik Hansen on drums, Nicolai Kornerup on accordion, Bo Rande on flügelhorn and Emil Goldschmidt on clarinet.