(WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass., April 17, 1998) -- For the Pioneer Valley-based Wholesale Klezmer Band, playing Klezmer music is more than just a job -- it's a mission. But while the music may have its roots in Jewish religious tradition, theirs is not quite a Blues Brothers-like "mission from God," but rather a mission very much rooted in the here-and-now.

The Wholesale Klezmer Band brings its traditionally-based Klezmer sound to the Berkshire Museum in Pittsfield tomorrow night at 8. In keeping with Klezmer's origins as celebratory wedding music, the concert will be held as a "mock wedding reception," with room for dancing and with complimentary coffee and cake served. For ticket information call 443-7171, ext. 20.

"The musical side of our mission is to keep alive the style of music that was played by and for the Jewish community of Yiddish-speaking Europe in the old days, because it's beautiful and meaningful," said Yosl Kurland, the lead vocalist, violinist and co-founder of the 16- year-old ensemble, in a recent phone interview from his home in Colrain.

But Wholesale Klezmer's mission goes deeper than mere musical preservation or nostalgia. Like the klezmorim of old, the musicians of Wholesale Klezmer provide the soundtrack to contemporary, Jewish life-cycle events, thus fostering the mitzvah, or commandment, to entertain and rejoice with the bride and groom.

In addition, Wholesale Klezmer goes beyond the scope of traditional Klezmer, which was primarily an instrumental music, to include Yiddish songs -- folk songs, theater tunes and prayers, as well as original Yiddish compositions, written and sung by Kurland and the group's musical director and clarinetist, Sherry Mayrent.

"A lot of these songs express certain Jewish values, whether they're values of justice, peacemaking, respect for people or tradition, humorous, serious, whatever," said Kurland.

"Yiddish is not my native language -- or rather, Yiddish is the native language that I didn't know how to speak when I was young," said Kurland. "But it feels to me that Yiddish is the language that expresses certain things I want to say better than any other language that I know."

The group's multi-faceted mission as delineated by Kurland is plainly evident on "Yidn Fun Amol (Jews of Long Ago" (Oyfgekumener), the ensemble's latest CD. The album, the group's third, mixes traditional dance tunes learned from vintage recordings, prayer melodies and original songs to make for a vibrant-sounding, heymishe, or down-home, tribute to Old World Klezmer.

The album includes "Redt Yidish (Speak Yiddish)," a Kurland original which, as the title indicates, is a plea for the revitalization of the former lingua franca of Eastern European Jews. Also featured is a 16- minute piece called "Tants Gemish (Dance Medley)," which offers a taste of the sort of non-stop simkhe, or party, music the band might play at a wedding.

Since its founding in 1982 as an outgrowth of a pit band assembled for a production of "Yentl" at Smith College, Wholesale Klezmer has performed throughout the Northeast, including at Carnegie Hall with Pete Seeger and Sweet Honey in the Rock, as well as at President Clinton's 1993 inaugural.

When the group first started out, said Kurland, "We were the only ones around here doing it. Now there are at least two other professional groups [playing Klezmer] within a fifty-mile radius, and several amateur groups."

But Klezmer has yet to become a mainstream phenomenon. "There are still people who say, `What's Kletzmer?' and there are still people who think there's only one Klezmer band and we all belong to it, and there are still people who think that there are only ten Yiddish songs and they're the ones that everyone knows."

In addition to founding members Kurland, accordionist Owen Davidson and percussionist Richie Davis, the group now includes trombonist Brian Bender, flutist Peggy Davis, bass violist Lynn Lovell, David Tasgal on violin, clarinet and bass, and Sherry Mayrent, who has several solo albums of original Klezmer music to her credit.

The Wholesale Klezmer Band boasts an informative website -- including an extensive guide to the role of music in traditional Jewish life-cycle events -- at www.crocker.com/~ganeydn. EARTHDAY BIRTHDAY: In a coincidence of near-cosmic proportions, three of the best-known Berkshire musicians share the same birthday, April 22, which also happens to be Earth Day. Given that fact, the only logical thing for Bernice Lewis, Judy Lunseth and Mark Kelso to do was to combine forces and celebrate the planet and their own birthdays by giving a concert, which will take place next Wednesday at Richmond Congregational Church on Rte. 41 in Richmond at 7. Marking the first time all three have performed together, the show will benefit the clean- up of the Housatonic River. Call 458-0944 for more information.

[This column originally appeared in the Berkshire Eagle on April 17, 1998. Copyright Seth Rogovoy 1998. All rights reserved.]

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