Klezundheit!

ABOUT

Klezundheit was organized in 2014 to play traditional and modern Klezmer, Roma, Balkan, and jazz music. The band was the brainchild of Alan Posner of Berkley, Michigan and his father Ken Posner, of Royal Oak. The Posner family has always been interested in Klezmer music. Alan's grandfather, David Fredrick (founder of Fredrick Jewelers in Bloomfield Hills) was born in Bedzin, Poland and had always loved Klezmer music. In 1996, when Cantor Stephen Dubov at Temple Beth El in Bloomfield Hills founded Kidz Klez of Michigan, the area’s first children’s Jewish music program, this gave them an opportunity to bring joy to Alan’s grandfather, now a blessed memory. Alan, together with his brother Jeremy (clarinet), and his cousins Justin Wedes (trombone and piano) and Erica Wedes (trumpet) of Huntington Woods, were among the founding members of that band.

Ken always wanted to create an adult version of that band, but had to wait for Alan to return to the area after his first job as the Director of Bands for Suttons Bay Public Schools. In 2011, Alan, accepted the job as director of bands at Berkley High School and Norup Middle School, and the seed for Klezundheit started to grow. When the Kids Klez of Michigan found out that Alan was coming home, they asked him to be the musical director of that group, as well.

Ken says that the band gives him an opportunity that he never thought he would get: “I had played the trumpet all through high school and college, but I hadn’t touched it for almost 35 years. As I watched and encouraged Alan to grow as a musician and educator, I dreamed that someday we might get a chance to play in a band together. It is really a dream come true. “

Ken says that Alan’s job as a high school band director (Bloomfield Hills High School) is so time-consuming that he thought the only way to make the dream a reality was for Ken to take all of the administrative burden of the group and let Alan provide artistic guidance as the music director. "I think it's great that we are coming together as friends, family, and musicians to help keep the Klezmer tradition alive and to add some 'chutzpah' to the Detroit Jewish community," says Alan. Being a band director helps for several reasons. Having gone to music school, Alan has spent a lot of time formally studying his instrument, the saxophone, as well as theory, composition, arranging, conducting, and more. He spends his daily professional life working with high school students on how to improve their individual playing, and it helps translate into building a strong ensemble performance.

Klezundheit’s members were chosen by Alan, asking people he already knew. There is a strong sense of family in the group. Alan's wife Michelle is the flutist, Gail Posner, Alan's mom and Ken's wife, is the dance leader.

David Rodgers of Oak Park, private music instructor and pianist for Klezundheit, is in a fantasy football league with Alan. He says he likes Klezmer music because "it's like toe-tapping, old school swing jazz, mixed with a Jewish flair."

Violinist David Reed was the orchestra director at Bloomfield Hills High School and one of Alan's teachers there when he was a student.

Ken brought bassist, harmonicist, and otolaryngologist Glen Gardner to the group. Glen and Ken had gotten to know each other while working with Cantor Steve Dubov at Temple Beth El.

Ken also found Tuba player Matt Adler while they were both playing in the Royal Oak Symphony Orchestra.

All of these family and friends have joined together with those listed below to create a Klezmer ensemble that combines jazzy numbers with fast-dancing fun:
Elementary music teacher David Lurie on trumpet,
Oakland University percussion professor and gig musician Dan Maslanka on drums,
Educator Cheri Whalen on accordion, violin and vocals,
Band Director at Rochester Community Schools Matt Harris on saxophones,
The band's attorney Howard Collens on trombone, and
Multi-media weirdo, performer, and composer Zoe Cutler on Trombone.

Screen name:: Klezundheit
Member since:: Nov 10 2017; Active over 1 month ago
Level of commitment:: Committed
Years together:: 10
Gigs played:: 10 to 50
Age:: 68 years

Influences

Oktopus, Slavic Soul Party, Rabbinic School Dropouts, Ben Folds, Amsterdam Klezmer Band, Klezmatics, Yiddishe Cup, Maxwell Street Klezmer Band

Members Of Band

Alan Posner, saxophones & musical director
Michelle Posner, flute,
David Rodgers, piano
David Reed, violin
Glen Gardner, bass and harmonica
Tuba, Matt Adler
David Lurie, trumpet,
Dan Maslanka, drums
Cheri Whalen, accordion, violin and vocals
Matt Harris, alto & tenor saxophones
Howard Collens, trombone
Zoe Cutler, bass trombone
Gail Posner, dance leader
Ken Posner, vocals