From the Producers: There’s a lot of great from the Hausmann Quartet (for whom Yale When you listen to these songs, you’ll hear Jewish holiday music out there, and we has composed classical music). the musicians thinking out loud and sharing were listening to one of our favorite world their inspiring thoughts and ideas with each We wanted the repertoire to present a sense music programs during the holidays. That’s other. Each of us has our own personal of how Khanike was and is celebrated by when it occurred to us that we could do our references, ranging from classical to jazz and different cultures around the world. The own Khanike album, one that reflects our blues, to Middle Eastern, klezmer, bluegrass Ladino songs were traditionally sung by interests and highlights Yale’s extraordinary and Texas swing. You’ll hear all of this as we women in the kitchen as they prepared for arrangements and compositions, with music fuse seamlessly with each other. the holiday. There is a particular feeling of that could be enjoyed by a wide range of intimacy, comfort and family that was true *Khanike or Hanukkah is a Jewish holiday listeners, from little kids to serious music of how we musicians felt about each other, commemorating the rededication of the Holy appreciators. And it provided a perfect both musically and personally, and that is Temple in Jerusalem at the time of the Maccabean opportunity for an idea that we had been really satisfying. (And of course, Elizabeth Revolt against the Seleucid Empire. discussing for some time, an entire album wouldn’t dream of recording any Jewish arranged for vocals and strings. It also gave us music project without Yiddish.) a perfect opportunity to join forces with Sara and David, whom we met through the Mark O’Connor Strings Camps; Amos; and Alex Fred Benedetti Watson, Albert Lee, Doyle Dykes, Dan Crary, Alan Ferber, Fabian Almazan, Nadje (guitar) was born in Art Garfunkel, Basia, Michael Franks, Mark Noordhuis, Gene Bertoncini, and Skitch Sasebo, Japan, and O’Connor, Michael Hedges, Ottmar Liebert, Henderson. Currently on faculty at both the began playing the and has recorded with Willie Nelson, Juice Berklee College of Music and Manhattan guitar at age nine. Newton, Paul Overstreet, Patty Loveless, Tom School of Music, Sara’s formidable teaching In 1986 he was one Barabas, Big Mountain, Matthew Lien, Ronny experience also includes the Mark O’Connor of twelve guitarists Robbins and William Lee Golden. He has String Camps, the Jamey Aebersold Summer worldwide chosen performed for dignitaries such as the King & Jazz Workshops, the Indiana University to perform in the Queen of Malaysia, Mikhail Gorbachev and String Academy, and a private studio. Sara Master Class of Andrés Segovia at USC, Ravi Shankar. began playing violin at age five, studied following which Guitarra Magazine wrote, “... with two legendary giants (Josef Gingold Sara Caswell (violin) is fast becoming one Fred Benedetti amazed the audience with his ~ classical, David Baker ~ jazz), made her of today’s foremost jazz violinists through performance of the (Bach) Chaconne...”. Fred orchestral debut at fifteen, earned degrees her technical facility and gift for lyricism. has performed in the United States, England, from Indiana University and Manhattan Recognized as a “Rising Star” in the Down Germany, the Czech Republic, Canada, Taiwan School of Music, and amassed over 100 Beat Magazine Critics and Readers Polls every and Mexico and locally with the San Diego awards in the jazz and classical competition year since 2013 and featured on the cover of Symphony, the San Diego Opera, the Starlight worlds. She was a 2018 Grammy nominee the September 2014 issue of Strings Magazine, Opera, the American Ballet Company, the Old for Best Jazz Improvisational Solo. Sara leads two groups (the Sara Caswell Globe Theatre, Luciano Pavarotti, and jazz Quartet and the Caswell Sisters Quintet), artist Dave Brubeck. He is a full-time professor has released two highly-acclaimed CDs (First of music at Grossmont College where he is Song and But Beautiful), and in 2013 released the head of the guitar studies program and is Alive in the Singing Air with her sister, jazz chair of the guitar program at San Diego State vocalist Rachel Caswell, featuring jazz pianist University. Fred is listed in the prestigious Fred Hersch. Sara regularly performs with Who’s Who Among America’s Teachers - 2002 clarinetist David Krakauer’s The Big Picture, and received an Outstanding Faculty Award in mandolinist Joseph Brent’s 9 Horses, and jazz 2001 from SDSU, the NISOD Excellence in vocalist Roseanna Vitro’s Quintet. She is a Teaching award from the University of Texas member of the house band for NBC’s weekly at Austin in 1992 and an Outstanding Chair variety show “Maya & Marty” starring Maya award in 1990 from Grossmont College. As Rudolph and Martin Short, as well as the Alex Greenbaum (cello) enjoys a diverse a BMI affiliated composer, Fred has written New York Pops Orchestra with whom she and adventurous musical life. As a member numerous contemporary pieces for the has been a featured soloist several times at of the Hausmann Quartet he is an Artist- international CD library company Network Carnegie Hall. She has toured extensively in-Residence at San Diego State University, Productions and as a studio musician for with Grammy-winning bassist/vocalist where he teaches cello and chamber music. 30 years his playing is featured on over Esperanza Spalding and violinist Mark As a long-time member of The Knights he has 100 CDs, numerous movie soundtracks, and O’Connor, and performed and/or recorded performed throughout the U.S. and Europe, TV commercials. He has shared the stage with such artists as Bruce Springsteen, Kishi from New York to Vienna, Ireland, Germany with Mason Williams, Eric Johnson, Doc Bashi, Regina Carter, Jenny Scheinman, and the Canary Islands, and appeared at the 3 festivals of Caramoor, Dresden, Ojai, Ravinia, Tanglewood, Aix-en-Provence. Alex’s varied interests have led to collaborations with Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Shen Wei Dance Arts, Malashock Dance and the Mark Morris Dance Group as well as studies of baroque cello and early music. In San Diego he is a mainstay on the Art of Élan series, an affiliated artist with San Diego New Music, a founding member of the San Diego Baroque Soloists, and appears regularly with Bach Collegium San Diego. A dedicated advocate for new music, past associations include the Tarab Cello Ensemble and Hutchins East, performances with the FLUX Quartet, Newband and at Music at the Anthology (MATA). Also an active performer in Mexico, Alex was a member of the Orquesta Sinfonica Sinaloa de las Artes based in the state of Sinaloa, and returned there to perform as soloist with the Tarab Cello Ensemble in the Feria de las Artes. A highlight of recent seasons was a residency in Tijuana which included visits to a dozen schools, and he performed and taught as part of the Northern Lights Music Festival in Ajijic, Jalisco from 2009-2013. Alex has recorded for Ancalagon, Bridge, Canary Classics, Cantaloupe, In a Circle, Koch, Naxos, Warner Classics and Sony records, as well as music for film, television and commercials. His teachers have included Steven Doane, Marcy Rosen, Ross Harbaugh, Joseph Elworthy and Andre Emelianoff; he holds degrees from the Eastman School of Music, Queens College (CUNY) and Juilliard Pre-College. Alex plays a cello crafted in 2006 by Michele Ashley. A native New Yorker, he lives in North Park, San Diego. Amos Hoffman (oud, electric guitar) is known worldwide as a pioneer in fusing the rhythms and melodic themes of the Middle East with modern jazz. Hoffman started playing guitar at the age of 6, and the oud a few years later. He studied guitar privately, and later attended the prestigious Rubin Academy of Music in Jerusalem. His search for new musical experiences led him first to Amsterdam, and then to New York City, where he played jazz with both established musicians and up-and-coming talents like Jason Lindler, bassist Avishai Cohen and Claudia Acuna. To date, Hoffman has recorded 5 solo albums and has contributed to dozens more for artists in Israel and worldwide, including Avishai Cohen, Kiko Berenguer (Spain) and Jan Mlynarski (Poland). In 2013, he was awarded one of Israel’s most prestigious prizes - the Landau Prize for Arts and Sciences for Outstanding Achievement in the Field of Jazz. Now based in the United States, Hoffman looks forward to creating new musical adventures and reaching audiences everywhere. Jeff Pekarek (contrabass) is a native of San Diego, California. He began playing trumpet and guitar at age ten, and by age twelve he was familiar enough with the piano to begin learning the art of arranging from his grandfather (a US Navy bandleader). Jeff discovered the contrabass at fourteen, studying with Federico Silva and Bertram Turetzky. He was the youngest contracted member of the San Diego Symphony when he joined the contrabass section at age seventeen. He performed with the orchestra from 1975-79, and during the summer pops concerts backed up such luminaries as Benny Goodman, Sarah Vaughan, and Sergio Mendez. After releasing his first album of originals in 1981, he became a bandleader in his own right, founding and fronting several successful period music and folk music ensembles, including the Jackstraws and the Electrocarpathians. In addition, he is the principal arranger for filmmaker and composer Yale Strom. This collaboration has included many audio recordings, three documentary films, three ballets, the orchestral piece 4 Aliyot (performed by the St. Louis Symphony), and a litany of chamber works. Jeff performed on bluegrass legend Richard Greene’s most recent album, Shufflin’.