Celebrating the richness, abundance and diversity of Jewish musical traditions, the Silicon Valley Jewish Music Festival brings together a well-rounded collection of styles and artists for a free, open-to-all gathering of music makers and appreciators.
Featuring songwriting upstarts including Zach Singer and Eric Hunker, established traditional and contemporary folk artists Craig Taubman and Elana Jagoda and the always-entertaining, family-fun music of the Macaroons and David Sharpe, the festival is headlined by the renowned Andy Statman and David Grisman, who are recognized around the world as bluegrass, new-grass, Klezmer, jazz and roots greats.
Playing together for the first time in years, Grisman and Statman have a long history of making music together. Way back in 1965, Statman found Grisman playing mandolin in Greenwich Village and asked him for lessons. Grisman agreed and later said that Statman was the best student he ever had. Thirty years later, the two collaborated on Songs of our Fathers, a heartfelt tribute album exploring some of the roots of Jewish music and the joys, hardships, happiness, insights and strength therein. They have since collaborated on numerous projects and played an important role in the evolution of roots music with their unique amalgamation of old and new styles, techniques and sounds.
Statman, who is known for his vast comprehension of Jewish musical history, and Grisman, who has been known to bend and push traditional musical boundaries as far as he can take them, complement each other beautifully and their mutual admiration is palpable. As Grisman once said, “I always tell people that if the only thing I ever did was give Andy his first mandolin lesson, it would have been a life well spent.”
The Silicon Valley Jewish Music Festival is Sunday, May 22, at 14855 Oka Road in Los Gatos.
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