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With its origin as a loose
assortment of players interested in refining their skills in playing
Balkan music, Kef gained its name and cohesive identity during a season
of weekly outdoor performances in 2007. With the addition of electric
bass and vocals, the band began to play for dances, in bars and coffee
houses, and at festivals. With that background, Kef has gained a solid
repertoire and balanced makeup, capable of providing exciting
live music for folkdances, as well as listening and dancing music for
other social settings. It was the University of Oregon's East European
Folk Music Ensemble, directed by Mark Levy, that gave most of us our
first taste of Balkan music, and indeed we are indebted to Mark Levy
for much of our core repertoire.
Today, Kef consists of nine musicians with diverse musical backgrounds,
but with the common goal of playing music from Greece to Romania with
authenticity, spontaneity and verve.
Band Members:
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John Blunk, electric bass
Over twenty years ago, after a few years of studying classical violin
and guitar, John picked up the bass. Since that time he has performed
and recorded with more than a dozen groups in styles ranging from rock
and jazz to traditional folk music of Europe and the Middle East,
crossing and mixing genres whenever possible. While living in Chicago,
John performed with Slavic Projection Folk Ensemble, as well as the touring Polish/Czech/Slovak trio, MOST. Since relocating to Oregon, he has played dance music of Scandinavia as part of the band Fossegrimen, and folk music of the Balkans with the groups Balladina, Kafana Klub and most recently, Kef. |
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Hasina Cohen, vocals
After more than a decade spent in various piano practice rooms around
Oregon, Hasina enrolled in the University of Oregon's East European
Folk Ensemble in 2006, and it quickly became apparent that she had
signed a lifetime contract. While her extensive library of classical
CDs now lies dormant on the shelf, the gas pedal of Hasina's car has
been introduced to the wonders of Balkan dance rhythms, and she
serenades Eugene nightly while riding home on her bike. The very small
fragment of her brain not devoted to Balkan music is busily at work
teaching piano and completing an undergraduate degree in music
history/ethnomusicology, the primary component of which is her Honors
College thesis on the history and current activities of the American
Balkan scene. |
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Bari studied classical clarinet with Richard Faria for three years to earn a
Bachelor of Music at Ithaca College in NY. She then put down her clarinet for a time
and meandered to the West Coast to pursue a master's in environmental
studies at the University of Oregon. She rediscovered her love of music
when she joined the East European Folk Music Ensemble where she met up
with cellist, Nisha, and trumpet player, Cody. Bari has played in
numerous pit orchestras, symphony orchestras, and wind ensembles, and
in addition to Kef, currently performs with the tango group, Los Bandidos del Tango. |
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Alex Lowe, trumpet
Alex began playing trumpet as a 6th grader back in 1991, and he hasn't
put it down since. In high school, after experiencing several band
camps and honor bands, he won the principal trumpet position with the Portland Youth Conservatory Orchestra
for the 1999-2000 season. Then, as a student at the University of
Oregon through 2004, he studied trumpet with George Recker, and played
in a variety of UO ensembles, including the Oregon Jazz Ensemble, Oregon Wind Ensemble and various brass ensembles. Additionally, he has made appearances with the Eugene Symphony and Oregon Mozart Players. With the Cottage Theater, he has been in the pit orchestra for a number of musicals, including 1940's Radio Hour, Fiddler on the Roof, Marley & Scrooge, Sugar and Chicago.
Some time after graduating from the UO, Alex met Bari, who invited him
to play Balkan music with Cody, Sharon, Nisha and Ken. Since then, Alex
has played with the East European Folk Music Ensemble, and he will be
attending his first East European
Folklife Center Balkan camp this summer. In addition to performing with Kef, Alex currently plays lead trumpet in Blue Skies Big Band. |
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Sharon earned her master's in music education at Oregon State
University and is a certified Music Specialist currently teaching in
three Eugene elementary schools. A multi-instrumentalist and singer
with a wide range of musical interests, she is a founding member of Accordions Anonymous and Sweet River, and also performs a variety of music in different styles with many local musicians. |
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Cody Simmons, trumpet and truba
Cody's interest in the wider world of musical possibilities available
to the trumpet began early in his studies. Soon after beginning private
study with trumpeter Dave Bender, he was invited to join the Oregon
Country Fair marching band, known as the Fighting Instruments of Karma
Marching Chamber Band/Orchestra. Experience in this one-weekend-a-year spontaneous ensemble introduced him to New Orleans style
brass band, Latin brass band, klezmer and a multitude of other styles
ignored by the straight and narrow path of traditional academic musical
learning. While continuing studies in classical and jazz trumpet, he
sought out every opportunity to explore other traditions of trumpet
playing. Upon beginning studies at the University of Oregon in 2000 joined the East European Folk
Music Ensemble. Since that time he has come to focus on the music of
the Balkans while keeping up with traditional Western trumpet technique
and applications. Multiple years of attending the EEFC's Mendocino Balkan Music and Dance Workshop have given
him a particular interest in Serbian and Rom brass band traditions as
well as finding ways to apply the trumpet to Bulgarian music. In
addition to playing with Kef, Cody is also a member of the Dillard
Brass Quintet, the Oregon Brass Society British Brass Band, and Blue
Skies Big Band. |
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Ken is skilled on many instruments, including drumset, tabla, djembe,
doumbek, guitar, fiddle, banjo, mandolin, bouzouki, and voice. He has
performed with musicians as diverse as reggae zydeco pioneer Ras Cloud, hereditary
musician or griot Mapate Diop, legendary Zimbabwean singer Thomas
Mapfumo and country superstar Ferlin Husky. Ken has played in the UO East
European Folk Music Ensemble, and currently plays with the Surfonics, Calango (Brazilian music), Facelift (jazz/rock), Chibuku (with African/Polynesian guitarist Paul Prince) and the Klezmonauts
(klezmer). |
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Jamie Webster, vocals
Jamie holds a master's degree in interdisciplinary ethnomusicology
studies in addition to bachelor's degrees in music education and vocal
performance. She is currently completing her dissertation for a
doctoral degree in musicology and ethnomusicology at the University of
Oregon. In addition to singing, Jamie has a background in keyboards, which
has provided a means for funding her thirteen years of university training.
She keeps a busy schedule as a piano teacher for young children, and also plays
organ and piano for various Protestant churches on Sundays. Jamie has performed
with a number of Slavic and East European ensembles
around the U.S. including the Karamfil Singers (Chico, CA); The Polish
Lira Ensemble, Slavic Projection Folk Ensemble and Balkanske Igre
(Chicago, IL); and Balladina Folk Orchestra (Eugene, OR). Jamie has been a frequent participant in the EEFC's Balkan camps, and in 2006 and 2007 she acted as the vocal instructor for the singers in the UO's East European Folk Music Ensemble. |
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