MAZEL TOV COCKTAIL PARTY (vinyl)

Description

The 'Mazel Tov Cocktail Party' album and tour project were conceived and created by Krakauer and producer Kathleen Tagg as an "explosion of good vibes" in response to the current climate of incredible polarization and negativity that permeates our daily lives. Alongside them, the album features a brand new formation composed of a group of world-renowned musicians: the clarinet virtuoso Krakauer takes on the role of godfather to Tagg's eccentric keyboard and production, Iranian drummer and multi-talented Martin Shamanpoor, the virtuoso bass of jazz guru Jerome Harris, the voice and words of soul singer and rapper Sarah MK, and the lines of oudist-guitarist Yoshie Fruchter. This group brings its enormous musical and cultural diversity to the project, collaborating to create both original works and unique reinventions of works from around the world. The album takes traditional and ancient dance forms and completely reimagines them to bring a clear message of tolerance and inclusion. Polka, square dance, and hora have never sounded this way before, with electro rhythms, acoustic Middle Eastern hand drums, deep grooves, and lyrics that call for space for everyone. Krakauer's wailing clarinet urges us to unite, celebrate, and feel the power of our lives. A square dance? Polka? Hornpipe, Hora, and Calypso? Urban rhythms mixed with acoustic instruments and thought-provoking rap? What is this music? What is the common ground where we have the potential to come together as human beings, without needing to know the beliefs of the person next to us, to have a good time? It's music and dance. Krakauer and Tagg therefore turned to ancient dance forms. Those designed for communities to come together and move. Dances that are immediately recognizable. And from there, they delved into the realities of their America, with all its amazing diversity, and added these sounds: for example, a square dance with some lyrics in Quebec French, drums on an Iranian daf, and a beat maker's rhythm born in Morocco and based in New York. Music with the form and pulse of a traditional square dance but the rhythm of a Brooklyn nightclub. A musical meeting place where each member presented themselves as they were, with all their history and skills, to create a new sound where small pieces of individuals create the whole. It's a Mazel Tov Cocktail Party and everyone is invited! In these uncertain times, it's an opportunity for artists and audiences to come together, celebrate all that we have in common, and throw a metaphorical "Mazel Tov cocktail" into the air to light up the world!