Portland Cabaret Band 1

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This Portland Cabaret Band performs European Cabaret, Vintage Americana, Balkan Belly Dance, Neo-Classical Opera and Old World Yiddish Theater!

This Bohemian Cabaret ensemble is described by the Washington Post as “A band of ceaseless charisma, boundless energy, impeccable musicianship and more than a little touch of both the naughty and exotic.” This Portland Cabaret Band delivers passionate offerings of Bohemian cabaret for young and old. Paris hot jazz, gut bucket swing, tangos, Ukrainian folk-punk ballads, klezmer and vigorous originals meet a world of riverboat gambling queens, Turkish belly dancers, and the enigmatic Marlene Dietrich.

Portland Cabaret Band style

Weaving elements of Kurt Weil, Duke Ellington and Edith Piaf with absurdist flair, theatrics and an old world mood, this Portland Cabaret Band presents the new wave of opera–lusty voices singing in 13 languages and presenting a cabaret of rich musical phrasing, sparkling lyrics and indomitable stage presence, all played with exuberance, skill and a gritty Vagabond edge. This is Opera liberated and reinvented for everyone!

The band’s core lineup features vocalists, (including operatic tenor vocals), accordion, tenor saxophone, clarinet, cello, stand-up bass, and drums. Guest performers and dancers often appear with this Portland Cabaret Band.

They are at the vanguard of a growing popularity in the Neo-cabaret phenomenon, and through their theatrical performances, lyrics in many languages, and an eclectic repertoire, they liberate opera from its usual construct, expanding musical and theatrical biodiversity.

Portland Cabaret Band performances

This Portland Cabaret Band has performed all over the USA and in Europe. They have been featured on NPR, in the Washington Post and Jazziz Magazine, and have shared stages and players with such acclaimed acts as Pink Martini, Devotchka, The Decembrists, Balkan Beat Box, The Cherry Poppin’ Daddies, and the Oregon Symphony. They have four full-length albums

This Portland Cabaret Band was created in 2002 by a European-trained opera singer and composer. While still electrified by traditional opera, he created a new context for opera: Performance on a more intimate scale incorporating not only opera but elements of Weimar Cabaret, Arabic and Balkan forms, and the original music that springs from the ensemble’s fertile creative work. This Portland Cabaret Band is not your granny’s opera, but a visceral artistic ensemble that features powerful instrumental and vocal performances coupled with a highly eclectic and theatrical experience.

Related Listings

Country United States
City Portland
State/Province Oregon
Performer Type Musical Act
Category

4 responses to “Portland Cabaret Band 1”

  1. Krissi says:

    “The band utilizes a strange combination of theatrics, comedy, dance, incredible musical talent and, of course, what band is complete without a little burlesque dancing? On Friday, November 6th, they shocked and awed the audience at the Capilano Performing Arts Theatre with their antics, which included speaking gibberish to each other between songs, and one of the band members pulling a set of false teeth out of her bra. Music and drama compete in Vagabond Opera, but the real wonder behind the scenes of the band is the secret ingredient of both these elements are improvisation. ” – Krissi Bucholtz, The Capilano Courier

  2. Sepia says:

    “… They grab your attention from the minute they take the stage and woo you for the rest of the evening. I don’t know how you can watch them and not have a good time. They exude such constant, positive energy I get winded just watching them.” – Sepia Chord, Seattle International Cabaret Festival

  3. What Weekly says:

    “This band has restored my faith in the wonderment of live music. We’ve been bombarded by homogenized, over-produced, cog-rock and other manifestations of mass marketed melodic refuse for so long that we can truly appreciate the talents of a cabaret act with a well-refined wit, stand-out musicianship and the ability to earn applause without flaunting tits and ass every two minutes in order to keep our attention.” – What Weekly

  4. Todd says:

    Somewhere in the Pacific Northwest, there run two rivers, one of vodka and one of absinthe. Not found on any maps, they are known only to five men and one woman.. Fusing klezmer with sounds of the Balkans and the Rom, along with a peppering of belly dance, opera, and tango, these neo-cabaret fire starters roll out a rabble-rousing vision of globalization, 1920s-style. – Todd Lavoie, SF Bay Guardian

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