Services

Simchas and Celebrations

– Weddings, Bar/Bat Mitzvahs, Anniversaries, Galas, Fund Raisers

“I just wanted to thank you for the power and spirit of your musical performance yesterday. It reminded me so much of (our own) chatuna. A wedding in our family wouldn’t be possible without you…and the band.“

Tzimmes offers a variety of band configurations for your simcha. Here is an example workup for a sextet service, though we also can provide services from a group as small as a Duo.

Depending upon the availability of the musicians, the sextet is comprised of the following:

• Lead Male Vocal/Guitar (Moshe Denburg, Band Leader)

• Lead Guitar/Backup Vocal

• Clarinet/Flute/Sax

• Accordion (or Violin)

• Bass

• Drums

As part of the wedding service, we can provide music for Badeken and Hupa (wedding ceremony) if you wish. These generally do not require the entire band, but rather a subset – for example, a duo comprised of Guitar and Flute/Clarinet can work well for the wedding ceremony itself. This service includes 20 minutes of pre-procession music played for the assembling guests, plus procession and recession.

We have a very extensive Simcha repertoire (‘hora’ dancing) plus a very wide range of all kinds of Jewish music (Hebrew, Yiddish, Ladino) and plenty of classic rock and pop, latin, soul music, jazz standards, folk rock, communal dancing numbers, and more. As for pop music that is more contemporary, if we don’t have it in our present repertoire we will be happy to prepare a couple of special requests for you. Same goes for international music that is of a culture we do not specialize in. For example, in 2014 we did a simcha with a Rumanian connection, and prepared, as per the bride’s request, several traditional Rumanian dance numbers. The service includes thorough consultation with you, site check, and coordination with your planners and caterers.

To get a better idea of what we do, we offer a first consultation free of charge – I would be happy to meet with you in person, guitar in hand. I could illustrate some repertoire for you and we could discuss all aspects of the event, repertoire, special requests, procession pieces, and so on. Also, when you come for this first consultation, I will be happy to give you a sample CD of our work. The sampler CD is our original concert repertoire and so only partly reflects what we do at an actual celebration; however, you will get a good idea of our music and professionalism from it. You can also begin by listening to some of our music by clicking on the links on the Discography page. To give you an idea of what we do, here is our present repertoire list. In some cases the songs listed are a little out of date for us, but we do more than what is here, and generally we can prepare songs in all the styles listed.

We have many recommenders and if you would like to have these references please let me know and I will send you some names and email addresses. Collectively the members of the ensemble have well over a century of experience providing Jewish and popular music services.

Regarding fees, these depend upon several factors, including the size of band you require, venue size and accessibility, and the season and day of week of the event. Once I know these details I will be able to price the service for you more exactly. The first step then is simply to write to us, and let me know what you are planning.

• Moshe Denburg, Band Leader
  mailto: info@tzimmes.net

“…You and the band were fantastic, (my wife) and I were so pleased with your performance and the fun that you brought. The general comment we had from people was that it was an old fashioned bar mitzvah, good food, good drink and great music.”

Communal Events, Holidays,

Casual Music Events

Similarly, Tzimmes offers a variety of band configurations for communal events, such as Israel Independence Day (Yom Ha-atsma-ut), Seniors Groups, Elder Homes, Restaurants, and so on. Often a simpler configuration is called for, such as the Tzimmes Trio, a very flexible ensemble which includes the following:

• Lead Male Vocal/Guitar (Moshe Denburg, Band Leader)

• Lead Guitar/Electric Bass/Backup Vocal

• Clarinet/Flute/Sax

• Also: Drum Machine (if needed)

Performances/Concerts

Today there is great interest in what is called World Music. Generally, this term alludes to the many styles of music that have their roots in cultures other than the mainstream. Jewish music, outside of Israel, is one of these musical cultures.

The music of Tzimmes, and Jewish Music generally, reflects a large cultural spectrum – everything from Middle Eastern (Mizrahi/Hebrew) to Eastern European (Klezmer/Yiddish) to Mediterranean (Sephardi/Ladino), and contemporary musical vernaculars. Since the early 90’s, Tzimmes has been at the forefront of this multi-faceted approach to Jewish music making, and indeed, this musical diversification describes our people’s historical-cultural wanderings very well. Since 1991, Tzimmes has specialized in creating both new adaptations of traditional repertoire and completely new pieces in a variety of styles.

Original in concept and sound, Tzimmes occupies a niche of its own in Jewish Music. Over the 25 years of its existence, they have concertized in Canada, the U.S., Mexico, and England, at Folk Festivals and Communal Events, for Jewish and non-Jewish audiences alike.

The concert ensemble size varies from 4 to 8 members, chosen according to the needs of the event; the complete instrumentation includes: 1-3 Voices (male and female); 2 Guitars; Accordion; Violin; Woodwind (Alto Sax, Clarinet, Flute); Electric Bass; Drum Set, and Hand Percussion (Arabic Drum, Djembe, Tambourine).

The best primer for these pieces is to listen to some of the excerpts on the discography pages here. If you are a presenter interested in a workup of our concert offerings, please contact us, and I will be happy to send you complete tracks to listen to and discuss the logistics of a concert.

Moshe Denburg, Band Leader

info@tzimmes.net

A fine educational workshop on Jewish Music can also be provided as described below.

Workshops

The Many Faces of Jewish Music:

A Lecture/Demonstration/Workshop

An original presentation with the aim of giving audiences and participants an idea of the many tributaries of Jewish Music, to wit: Eastern European, Mediterranean, Near Eastern, and Western. The differences between Ashkenazi, Sephardi, and Mizrahi will be explained – examples from the Tzimmes repertoire will illustrate the variety of languages, rhythms, and modes in Jewish musical experience.

Participation, in the form of singing, playing, and asking questions, is encouraged. Take-home song and theory sheets will be available.

The workshop can be formatted in a variety of ways:

• As a lecture with musical examples and some audience participation.

• As a hands-on (for instrumentalists) and singing workshop with an emphasis on musical practice.

The presentation is also geared to a variety of age groups – anyone from 12 years old and up can enjoy and absorb it.

The background for the workshop is the essay Jewish Music – An Overview by Moshe Denburg, and can be found here on the website under ‘Jewish Music’.