Mark Rubin:
Tuba, Cello, String Bass, Kapelmeister. Voted "Best Goodwill Ambassador (Music)" in the Austin Chronicle's "Best of Austin '98" issue, Mark is best known to folks around the world as bassist and co-founder of Sugar Hill recording artists Bad Livers. Few folks know that he's is patralinially descended from the Reb Hillel di Paretzter (Hillel the Porrager,) scholar and rebbe of the famed Bobriusk Yeshiva, in what is today the Belorussian Republic. Reb Hillel was a seminal figure in the early history of the eastern European Lubavitch (orthodox) movement, and was particularly well known for his singing and composition of niggunim (wordless devotional melodies, some of which are still sung by Lubavitchers today.) Born in Stillwater OK in 1966, to parents who met in their college marching band, Mark was weaned on music, and introduced early on to Sousa, Coupland, and Scott Joplin, ("the greatest American composer ever," as his father often cited). Robert Rubin, Mark's father, was at one time national director of the Kappa Kappa Si honorary marching band fraternity, before becoming the first ever non-Rabbinate ordained director of a Hillel Foundation Jewish Student Center at the University of Oklahoma in Norman-Only briefly continuing a tradition of Jewish spiritual leadership, and musical inclination, that has extended for many generations. He is a featured member of many touring and recording projects including Frank London's Klezmer Brass All-Stars, the Henry Sapoznik Klezmer Trio, 1001 Nights Arabic Orchestra, acoustic blues man Steve James. He has produced CDs and tours for Tex-Mex accordion maestro Santiago Jimenez, Jr, Tex-Polish fiddler Brian Marshall, as well as many others too numerous to list here. He was responsible for all the music to director Richard Linklater's 1999 motion picture, "The Newton Boys" for 20th Century Fox, for which he was tapped as music supervisor. He has been invited to perform with an all-star klezmer ensemble at the Smithsonian Institution's tribute to folklorist Ralph Rinzler in July '98, and nas been a staff musician and instructor for Living Tradition's West Coast Klez Kamp '98, and Klez Kamp '97 to present as well as frequent guest musician at Centrum's Fiddle Tunes Festival in Port Townsend WA.. |
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Don Weeda: Accordion.
Don Weeda performs regularly with his international folk dance band Slavadillo, now celebrating thier 20th anniversary in Austin. He is a former member of O'Prirohdye (Iowa City, IA), The Haydukes and Di Heyse Dray (Bryan, TX). He has also performed with balalaika maestro David Chrapkiewicz, Austin based Arabic/Persian ensemble 1001 Nights Orchestra, Kolorash, the Balalaika & Domra Association of America Orchestra, Serbian accordionist Nick Bratkovich, singer/songwriter Emily Kaitz, the Austin Balkan Singers, the Balkan Voices, and members of Spatter Dash and Rakia ensembles. He is an in-demand accompanist for the Austin International Folk Dancers, Austin Friends of Traditional Music, Texas International Folk Dancers, Oklahoma International Folk Dancers, and Folk Dance Leadership of Chicago. Read his thoughts on "Klezmer Accordion." |
Ben Saffer: Bb Clarinet, Eb
Sopranino Clarinet, Metal Clarinet, Bass Clarinet. Born in Wilmington, Delaware, Ben
Saffer started playing classical clarinet at the age of 9. While living
in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, he was lured away from the single reed by
the siren song of Rock & Roll, singing and playing electric guitar
& banjo with folk-rock group Flyin Mice.
He moved to Austin in 1996, returned to his roots on the Bb Clarinet, and began performing with Rubinchik's Orkestyr in October 1997. In July and August of this year, monsieur Saffer acted as translator, Master of Ceremonies and general Goodwill Ambasador for Rubinchik's Orkestyr during the French Tour. A knack for the subtleties of the French language and a healthy disregard for the formalities of foreign relations stood him in good stead. Also a Klez Kamper, Ben has studied under Sid Beckerman and Merlin Sheppard. Ben has been a stalwart member of local Nuevo Tango sensation, Tosca and the Glover Tango ensemble, as well as the featured soloist with Les Niglos, a Django Reinhardt tribute group. He currently leads the locally popular Victrola, performing his own compostions on clarinet, c-melody sax and tenor banjo. |