Dan Blacksberg's Freilachs Music

Dan Blacksberg and his band Freilachs Music play the Annenberg Center Feintuch Family Lobby on Sunday, March 7, at 1:15 PM. It's a matinee, so it's a good one if you're not looking for a late night on a Sunday.

Blacksberg is a klezmer trombone pioneer, and that's the sound he's bringing here: the lively music of Eastern European Jewish tradition. If you're not familiar with the term, klezmer is the traditional instrumental music of Ashkenazi Jews, known for its dance rhythms and a vocal quality to the instruments—the trombone, in particular, can slide and bend notes in a way that sounds like a human voice singing or laughing. It's music built for weddings and celebrations, and that energy is exactly what Freilachs Music is about. The band's name itself comes from the Yiddish word freilachs, which means "happy" or "joyous" and refers to a specific type of upbeat dance tune.

It's a relatively rare thing to see the trombone take center stage in this tradition, and that's where Blacksberg fits in. He's spent years working with the music, and this is his band leading the way. The set will be a mix of those traditional sounds and the band's own take on them, with the trombone right at the front. It's the kind of music that works as well for listening as it does for dancing, so whether you're there to sit and hear the arrangements or just to soak in the energy, it's a good fit for a Sunday afternoon.

The show is at the Annenberg Center Feintuch Family Lobby in Philadelphia on Sunday, March 7, starting at 1:15 PM.