Band’s music residency at the Classic
Fifth of Nisan fuse jazz, klezmer and contemporary music, their performances will seek to push boundaries.
Jewish Jazz band Fifth of Nisan are thrilled to have a residency at the Classic in May, where every Tuesday night at 8pm, the six-piece ensemble will take to the stage at Southside Bar.
Fifth of Nisan fuse jazz, klezmer and contemporary music and their performances at the Classic will seek to push the boundaries of their sound with experimentation, new compositions and improvised on-stage interplay. No two nights will be the same!
The band is led by Rachel Moshel on trumpet and includes Montana Sharp on vocals, Alex Burkoy on violin, Tony Hicks on clarinet and saxophone, and Daniel Mougerman on keys, Owen Downie on double bass and Ben Hendry on drums.
Moshel grew up in Sydney but formed the band two years ago when she moved to Melbourne. Reflecting on the Jewish infusion in Fifth of Nisan’s music, Moshel told The AJN, “I grew up in a very secular Ukrainian Jewish family and I didn’t have much of a connection to Jewish culture. I went to an Anglican high school but on Sundays, I would go to Hebrew school when I was a child and I had my bat mitzvah … I was always really yearning for Jewishness and Jewish friends, and the ideas and every aspect of it. So, I always knew when I started a project I wanted it to be Jewish … It’s a jazz group with a lot of Jewish influence.”
The residency’s special guests will feature poetry and prose with Anita Lester and Nathan Wolski on May 13, klezmer cabaret with Rita Satch and Jacob Sacher on May 20 and a klezmer dance party with Hot Dollar Balaclava (DJ) on May 27.
Moshel remarked, “I’ve plunged into it because I want to bring something wonderful, exciting and new to the Melbourne Jewish community, hoping to create music that’s both exciting and insightful. The evenings are also a way to connect and bring together various Jewish artists that work in Melbourne for a unique showcase. I’ve curated the nights so there’s somthing for everyone and always something unexpected.”
To book visit classiccinemas.com.au/movies/fifth-of-nisan
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