Black Ox Orkestar
Encyclopedia
Black Ox Orkestar is a quartet of musicians from Montreal, Canada who play European Jewish folk music. They formed in the summer of 2000 to explore their common Jewish heritage through music. The band's music is entirely acoustic; texts are sung in Yiddish.
Contributors
- Thierry AmarThierry AmarThierry Amar is a Canadian musician. He is most notable for participating in Godspeed You! Black Emperor, as well as being co-founder of Thee Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra & Tra-La-La Band with Efrim Menuck and Sophie Trudeau. Amar also participates with Black Ox Orkestar, a Yiddish folk...
(contrabassContrabassContrabass refers to a musical instrument of very low pitch; generally those pitched one octave below instruments of the bass register...
)- A member of Godspeed You! Black EmperorGodspeed You! Black EmperorGodspeed You! Black Emperor is a Canadian post-rock band which originated from Montreal, Quebec in 1994...
and Thee Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra & Tra-La-La Band.
- A member of Godspeed You! Black Emperor
- Scott Levine Gilmore (vocals, cymbalom, guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
, mandolinMandolinA mandolin is a musical instrument in the lute family . It descends from the mandore, a soprano member of the lute family. The mandolin soundboard comes in many shapes—but generally round or teardrop-shaped, sometimes with scrolls or other projections. A mandolin may have f-holes, or a single...
, sazBaglamathumb|180px|Cura and bağlamaThe bağlama is a stringed musical instrument shared by various cultures in the Eastern Mediterranean, Near East, and Central Asia....
, violinViolinThe violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
, percussion)- Plays in Thee Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra & Tra-La-La Band and Land of Kush (with composerComposerA composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
Sam Shalabi). has also played in Luftmentsch Fareyn (with Josh Dolgin, aka So Called). He was a founding member of Le Petit Théâtre de l'Absolu, a puppet theatre that toured through IsraelIsraelThe State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
and the West BankWest BankThe West Bank ) of the Jordan River is the landlocked geographical eastern part of the Palestinian territories located in Western Asia. To the west, north, and south, the West Bank shares borders with the state of Israel. To the east, across the Jordan River, lies the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan...
in 2003.
- Plays in Thee Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra & Tra-La-La Band and Land of Kush (with composer
- Gabriel Levine (clarinetClarinetThe clarinet is a musical instrument of woodwind type. The name derives from adding the suffix -et to the Italian word clarino , as the first clarinets had a strident tone similar to that of a trumpet. The instrument has an approximately cylindrical bore, and uses a single reed...
, guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
)- Played in SackvilleSackville (band)Sackville was a Montreal-based musical group that played what has been classified as country and pop, although their style resembles more folk, rock and avantgarde...
, and Land of Kush (with Sam Shalabi) and the Wild Lawns. He has worked in VermontVermontVermont is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state ranks 43rd in land area, , and 45th in total area. Its population according to the 2010 census, 630,337, is the second smallest in the country, larger only than Wyoming. It is the only New England...
for the Bread and Puppet Theatre, and was a co-founder of Le Petit Théâtre de l'Absolu.
- Played in Sackville
- Jessica MossJessica MossJessica Moss is best known for playing violin and singing backing vocals in the Canadian post-rock band Thee Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra & Tra-La-La Band since 2001, and is a founding member of Black Ox Orkestar....
(violinViolinThe violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
)- A member or former member of many bands and collaborations on the Montreal music scene. She plays in Thee Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra & Tra-La-La Band, and has played with Broken Social SceneBroken Social SceneBroken Social Scene is a Canadian indie rock band, a musical collective including as few as six and as many as nineteen members, formed in 1999 by Kevin Drew and Brendan Canning. Most of its members currently play in various other groups and solo projects, mainly based around the city of Toronto...
.
- A member or former member of many bands and collaborations on the Montreal music scene. She plays in Thee Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra & Tra-La-La Band, and has played with Broken Social Scene
Discography
- Ver Tanzt?Ver Tanzt?Ver Tanzt? is the debut album of Black Ox Orkestar, a Montreal-based band. The lyrics on the album are spoken in Yiddish and talk about the Jewish diaspora.-Track listing:# "Shvartze Flamen, Vayser Fayer"–2:34# "Papir Iz Dokh Vays"–4:13...
(Constellation RecordsConstellation RecordsConstellation Records is an influential Montreal, Quebec independent record label known for its contributions to experimental genres of music. It is most famous for releasing the albums of Godspeed You! Black Emperor, Thee Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra & Tra-La-La Band, and Do Make Say...
, 20042004 in musicSee also:* 2004 in music Record labels established in 2004-January:*January 1**The Vienna New Year's Concert is conducted by Riccardo Muti.**Kurt Nilsen wins World Idol....
) - Nisht AzoyNisht AzoyNisht Azoy is the second album of Montreal-based klezmer band, Black Ox Orkestar. The record's name translates into Not Like This. It was released on 180g LP and CD...
(Constellation Records, 20062006 in musicThis is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 2006.-January:*January 10 – Eric Burdon releases his album Soul of a Man and begins touring with a new band....
. Recorded in MontrealMontrealMontreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
's Hotel2Tango studioHotel2TangoThe Hotel2Tango is a 24-track analogue recording studio situated in the Mile End district of Montreal, Quebec. The current facility is the second to bear the name, and was preceded by a similar operation in the same neighborhood until 2007 when the studio changed locations...
)