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Ljova and the Kontraband


(Photos ©Eva Giatas / Evagiatas.com)

LJOVA AND KONTRABAND (formerly Ljova & the Vjola Contraband) -- is chamber-jam music for the "remix generation". As if by alchemy, Eastern-European and Gypsy melodies, Latin rhythms, Jazz-inspired improvisations, and deeply rooted Classical forms are given new meanings. Founded by the maverick film composer, arranger, and violist Lev 'LJOVA' Zhurbin --- hailed by Billboard magazine as "one of New York's fastest rising composers and instrumentalists" -- the ensemble also features his close collaborators on vocals, accordion, bass and percussion. Inspired by his collaborations with Yo-Yo Ma, Osvaldo Golijov, the Kronos Quartet, the rapper Jay-Z and others, Ljova's compositions dazzle with intricate textures, odd rhythms and lilting melodies, creating music that is both fresh and timeless. The Kontraband is finishing up their debut CD, slated for release in fall 2008. For booking inquiries, please contact booking@Ljova.com.

UPCOMING DATES:

May 8,
2008		 Trinity Wall Street Church, New York [more info]
May 10,
2008		 DROM / East Village, NYC
[buy tickets here -- no service charge!]		 [more info]
May 18,
2008, 12pm		 Philadelphia Book Festival, Philadelphia PA [more info]
May 18,
2008, 4pm		 Princeton Arts Council, Princeton NJ - double bill with the Yiddish Arts Trio [info soon]

REVIEWS:

  • This eclectic violist's music is anything but plain folk by Justin Davidson, Newsday

      • "Quick, name a violist, any violist! [There is] nobody quite like the polymath Lev ['Ljova'] Zhurbin...The music he writes and plays is full of Brahmsian tone, Bartók lines, hiccupping Hungarian rhythms, Klezmer soul and the sexy plaintiveness of tango and the blues." >> [More]


    • "richly textured palette featuring Eastern European and Gypsy melodies beautifully offset by Latin-tinged rhythms"
      --New Yorker


    • "Ljova and the Kontraband play genre-defying music beautifully and soulfully. Organically bringing together influences ranging from classical and new music, klezmer, tango, jazz, Gypsy music and more, their music is smartly original, steeped in tradition while moving those traditions forward. Ljova is also a savvy promoter who continually demonstrates that independent artists can effectively use new models of music distribution and social networking to bring their music to the public on their own terms."
      --Bill Bragin, Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, New York City


  • Swinging Violas by Alexander Gelfand, Jazziz

      • "...This past January, the Russian-born, New York City-based violist Ljova and his Vjola Contraband drew a full house at Joe's Pub in Manhattan, forcing fans to stand three-deep at the room's swanky, dimly lit bar. Rarely have I seen so many young, attractive people pay to hear a band with no less than two violists not to mention an accordion player, an acoustic bassist, and a percussionist who bears a striking resemblance to Sideshow Bob....

      The off-kilter rhythms he favors recall the asymmetrical dance beats of central and southeastern Europe, where time signatures tend to look like hat sizes (7/8, 13/8, 15/16). They tug and pull at you in strange and mysterious ways, as do Ljova's melodies, which have the tuneful, emotive quality of good pop.">> [More]

AUDIO & VIDEO:


Ljova%20and%20the%20Vjola%20ContrabandQuantcast
Ljova and the Vjola Contraband, Live at Joe's Pub


LJOVA AND THE KONTRABAND is:

-- Ljova (viola)
-- Inna Barmash (vocal)
-- Patrick Farrell (accordion)
-- Mathias Kunzli (percussion)
-- Mike Savino (bass)

Special Guests:
-- Taylor Bergren-Chrisman (bass)
-- Mike Block (cello)
-- Uli Geissendoerfer (piano)
-- Sarah Darling (viola)
-- Parker String Quartet
-- Reuben Radding (bass)
-- Marcus Rojas (tuba)
-- Rich Stein (percussion)
-- Ronn Yedidia (accordion)

PAST DATES:

    March 8, 2008 - BARBES (with special guest Rob Kendt)
    January 5, 2008 - JOE'S PUB (New York, NY) - double bill with Brooklyn Rider
    December 6, 2007 - Ukrainian National Home Restaurant - triple bill with the Luminescent Orchestrii, and the World on a String Band
    October 14, 2007 - BARBES (Brooklyn, NY) - double bill with the Parker String Quartet
    August 11, 2007 - JOE'S PUB (New York, NY)
    August 3, 2007 - BARBES (Brooklyn, NY)
    July 26, 2007 - Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), Sculpture Garden (New York, NY)
    July 12, 2007 - ARIUM(Meatpacking district, NYC)
    July 6, 2007 - Philadelphia Museum of Art (Philadelphia, PA)
    June 1, 2007 - BAMCafé, Brooklyn Academy of Music. Opening musical act of the Sundance Film Festival @BAM.
    May 31, 2007 - Radio: WNYC'S Soundcheck with John Schaefer - [Recording of the show]
    March 8, 2007 - BARBES (Brooklyn, NY)
    January 17, 2007 - JOE'S PUB (New York, NY) - double bill with Romashka
    August 22, 2006 - BARBES (Brooklyn, NY)
    July 12, 2006 - JOE'S PUB (New York, NY) - double bill with the Luminescent String Orchestrii
    June 16, 2006 - at the OM FACTORY (New York, NY)
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Reviews

This self-released debut recording from 27-year-old Russian-born Lev Zhurbin (aka Ljova), one of New York's fastest-rising composers and instrumentalists, is something special... Ljova continually delights
---Anastasia Tsioulcas, Billboard

Rustic dances and evocative soundscapes, all crafted from ... the gorgeously grainy purr of his fiddle.
---Steve Smith, Time Out New York

Eclectic with an ear for texture...Throaty melodies supported by pizzicato rhythms, lush chordal figures and counterpoint.
---Allan Kozinn, New York Times

Though he was born in the string quarry of Russia and refined in the purifying precincts of Juilliard, Zhurbin turned out to be a lover of gritty hybrids. The music he writes and plays is full of Brahmsian tone, Bartók lines, hiccupping Hungarian rhythms, Klezmer soul and the sexy plaintiveness of tango and the blues.
---Justin Davidson, Newsday

Best of June 2006 New Releases
---John Schaefer, host of WNYC's New Sounds and Soundcheck

Like many younger musicians, this leader has absorbed a panoply of music and gleefully undermines rigid notions of genre.
---Sean Patrick Fitzell, ALL ABOUT JAZZ

From the poignant to the jolly... a superb player and composer, a Brilliant Debut. (Top 10 Jewish Records of 2006)
---George Robinson, THE JEWISH WEEK

No barriers...Fluid stylistic grace...
---Ken Smith, GRAMOPHONE Magazine

The off-kilter rhythms he favors ... tug and pull at you in strange and mysterious ways, as do Ljova's melodies, which have the tuneful, emotive quality of good pop.
---Alexander Gelfand, JAZZIZ Magazine

Proves that an integration between seemingly different cultures is possible, inevitable, and fruitful
---Osvaldo Golijov, composer