di bostoner klezmer
borukh habah (welcome)!
Folks in the Boston area will be interested in our band - a trio which shares Dena with T-Klez. Founded in 1997 C.E., di bostoner klezmer plays:
* Authentic, dynamic European and American klezmer music - from 19th century European to 1950s “club dates” as well as our own compositions grounded in these traditions.
* Israeli, Hasidic... tangos, waltzes.
* Swing (jazz).
* Special requests.
The trio can be augmented with your choice of additional instruments (percussion, bass, fiddle, etc. - even banjo!)
Our trombonist, Mark Hamilton, can provide a multitude of prerecorded tunes.
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dbk's musicians
Cory Pesaturo
Dobe (Dena) Ressler
Cory Pesaturo
is the holder of both the the Digital Accordion Champion of the World and the Accoustic title!
He has been playing professionally since childhoo. A graduate of the New England Conservatory of Music and plays a multitude of styles, Cory has recorded two jazz CDs with George Garzone and performed on 5 continents. Other honors include be
is the holder of both the the Digital Accordion Champion of the World and the Accoustic title!
He has been playing professionally since childhoo. A graduate of the New England Conservatory of Music and plays a multitude of styles, Cory has recorded two jazz CDs with George Garzone and performed on 5 continents. Other honors include being the youngest person to win the National Accordion Championship (age 15) and to play a State White House Dinner (age 12). His music can also be heard at Formula 1 Race broadcasts!
Mark Hamilton
Dobe (Dena) Ressler
Cory Pesaturo
graduated from the New England Conservatory and the University of Delaware. He has performed all over the world, recording nine CDs as a member of the Klezmer Conservatory Band. A busy freelancer, he has performed with Joe Williams, Itzhak Perlman, Victor Borge, Robin Williams, and Joel Grey among others. On the jazz faculty at Blue Lake
graduated from the New England Conservatory and the University of Delaware. He has performed all over the world, recording nine CDs as a member of the Klezmer Conservatory Band. A busy freelancer, he has performed with Joe Williams, Itzhak Perlman, Victor Borge, Robin Williams, and Joel Grey among others. On the jazz faculty at Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp in Michigan, he is the former Instrumental Music Director at a fancy independent school in central Massachusetts where his bands consistently won top honors at the International Association of Jazz Educator's festivals. Both an arranger and composer, he specializes in klezmer and jazz music - check out his publishing company, hamiltunes.org
Dobe (Dena) Ressler
Dobe (Dena) Ressler
Dobe (Dena) Ressler
is the bandleader, cofounder & clarinetist. She has taught at KlezKamp, at New England Conservatory of Music’s summer Klezmer Institute, and has presented a seminar on klezmer history. She’s played with world class klezmorim and occasionally reviews Yiddish music in both English and Yiddish. ---photo by Jerry Jaeger
We know people!
Here we are with two wonderful musician friends (Grant Smith,
percussion, and Yaeko Mirando, violin) at a wedding.
Raves
Concerts
- “Your music is marvelous! Keep it going!” DK, Newton, MA
- "Please thank [the band]. They were an excellent group and played an interesting program, not the usual standards. We look forward to their return." RW, Lexington, MA
* “I loved your klezmer set - makes me rock!” DS, Ho-Ho-Kus, NJ
* “Thanks for making our Gala, gala!” Elizabeth Sher, Teaneck Public Library, Teaneck, NJ
* “The Adult Program...was a tremendous success as over 70 patrons came to enjoy the concert!...The music was so well-performed that hearing it, you wanted to get up and dance even if you didn’t know how! Our patrons...were all beaming with enjoyment as they left.” - Anita Lehto, Stoughton (MA) Public Library, (where we performed 3 times and will a fourth time this fall)
* “We really enjoyed your concert at NEFFA” (New England Folk Festival) - NP, Nashua, NH
simkhes (khasenes (weddings), bar and bas mitzves....
* “One non-Jewish friend of ours said, 'I’m not Jewish & neither is Meghan, but when we get married we’re having a Jewish wedding!' because of how joyous the music was.” NO, Cambridge, MA
* “Thanks again. It was exactly the way we wanted it to be.” --MO, mother of the bride whose friend was quoted immediately above.
* “We just wanted to express again how grateful we are to you...for the talent, joy, and ruach you brought to our wedding. We and all our guests had a blast dancing to and listening to the joyous klezmer music...our wedding site presented some challenging logistical constraints, and you all were so flexible, patient, and creative with using the space brilliantly.” SC & MP, Lebanon, NH
* “Warmest thanks for wonderful music at Sarah’s Bat Mitzvah. It was just pefect! Please let your fellow musicians know that Sarah pronounced the music and dancing “awesome.” --KA, Newton, MA
* “Thank you so much for everything that you added to our simkhe - the music was outstanding - it brought much joy and excitement to the day...It was nice to see your smiling faces and to hear your magical music - it was truly an honor to have you play at our wedding....” MM, bride, Rhode Island
* “[dbk’s] music first created a warm vibe; later we were all on the dance floor smiling!! It was everything we hoped for.” ---JB, Watertown, MA
* “...we want to thank you...for your fabulous music. We appreciate all the spirit you brought to our wedding celebration.” -IB & EB, Providence, RI
* “Thank you so much for making Lily’s Bat Mitzvah so wonderful. Good music so enhances any special occasion, and di bostoner klezmer enhanced ours.” -BK, Brookline, MA
* “Thank you Dena, the music was great and we had a lot of fun dancing!” -ZM (the Bas Mitzve girl!), Lexington ,MA
* “The music was really nice and even better than the DJ stuff” - DB, female guest at a Bas Mitsve, then age 11 Newton, MA
“...thank you - on behalf of all us Arbeter-Ringmeisters - for bringing such joy and oomph to our Shule Bar/Bat Mitzvah...You...surpassed our best hopes, and ...folks kept buzzing in my ear what a wonderful band you are!” - SO, Workmen’s Circle, Brookline, MA
* “Thank you, once again, for the beautiful music...The trio greatly enhanced [the]day, and you got rave reviews from the crowd! Please don’t hesitate to contact us if you ever need a recommendation.” - JY, mother of the bas mitzve, Newton, MA
shuls (synagogues)
* “Thank you so much for your beautiful and freylekh music! You added so much to our celebration.” Rabbi, Newton MA
* “...this year’s Simchat Torah worship and celebration....was a true joy for all those present, thanks to the memorable contribution of di bostoner klezmer. Word has spread that this was a special service and those who were not present are sorry that they could not attend. We hope in the future that [you] will play here [again]. - PR, Cape Cod, Massachusetts (please note; we now do not play on Shabbos or other yomtoyvim where it is prohibited to play musical instruments)
Our CD, "nakhes fun klezmer"
Reviews
“This is a band that understands what a party is and how to play for one in which people dance their socks off.” - Ari Davidow, klezmershack.com
“[they] breathe new life into traditional, old-country klezmer!” - Dr. Hankus Netsky, National Yiddish Book Center; Founder/Director: Klezmer Conservatory Band.
“Right from the opening tune [they] play...klez with a bounce, lively and danceable. Even the doynas are peppy. Nicely variegated instrumentation and a whole program of...tasty tunes well played.”
- George Robinson, the Jewish Week, New York City. (4.5 of 5 stars)
* “...plenty of nice surprises throughout the disc...the originals fit seamlessly into the overall context of the album...clarinet playing keeps a healthy balance between straight and jagged rhythm, with lots of warmth and feeling. The melodica pieces and the tsimbl suite enrich the overall texture of the album.” - Yankl Falk, KBOO FM radio and clarinetist/vocalist of di naye kapelye
How to purchase:
send us an email at klezmer at yiddishmusic dot com with your name and address and we'll go from there!
listen to the CD
Who's on the CD
Two iterationss of the band:
* Matt Wulf (accordion), Rachel Lemisch (trombone) and Dena Ressler (clarinet)
* Brian Bender (trombone, melodica), Terry Traub (accordion, fidl) and Dena Ressler (clarinet)
* with special guests: Pete Rushefsky (tsimbl) Paul Becker (a"h, accordion), and Richard Seidel (a"h, bass)
Meyshke (Michael) Alpert's guest appearance
Michael Alpert joined us in May of ’06 at a standing room only concert at the Teaneck, NJ Public Library's annual Friends' Gala. There was lots of back-and-forth with the audience and laughing, a little Yiddish, a little Ukrainian, debate, Michael sang a a rarely (if ever) performed Beregovski-collected song about klezmorim...A fun time was had by all...Photos by Peter Blacksberg
Brian Bender, Dena Ressler, Michael Alpert enoying a light moment with the audience
Great audience (standing room only, even)!
To Contact Us...
Please use the "contact us" form above in The T-Klez section (at the top of the page, click "More")
Please use the "contact us" form above in The T-Klez section (at the top of the page, click "More")
Cory Pesaturo and Dena Ressler at Center for Jewish Life's neo-Maleve Malke (third Shabbos meal), Arlington, MA
Please use the "contact us" form above in The T-Klez section (at the top of the page, click "More")
Please use the "contact us" form above in The T-Klez section (at the top of the page, click "More")
Please use the "contact us" form above in The T-Klez section (at the top of the page, click "More")
Please use the "contact us" form above in The T-Klez section (at the top of the page, click "More")
Dena Ressler and David Harris at the Payson Park Music Festival, Belmont, MA