Fabrangen Fiddlers
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Alan Oresky
Frank Sparber
Theo Stone
Larry Robinson
Fabrangen Fiddlers | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Washington, DC |
| Genres | klezmer, Jewish |
| Years active | 1971–present |
| Members | David Shneyer Alan Oresky Frank Sparber Theo Stone Larry Robinson |
| Past members | Sue Roemer |
The Fabrangen Fiddlers are an American Jewish folk music band. Founded in 1971, the Washington, DC-area group was the first music collective devoted to the rediscovery of Jewish folk music and the development of new Jewish liturgical folk music.
The Fabrangen Fiddlers formed in 1971 as part of the Fabrangen Jewish Free Culture Center[1] in Washington, DC, which later evolved into the Fabrangen Havurah, one of the original havurahs to form in the United States, as cited in The Jewish Catalog.[2] The movement formed in the late 1960s and early 1970s as an alternative to traditional Jewish synagogues and temples. The desire was to discover a more authentic Jewish experience. The early havurah movement was characterized by experimentation and reforging of ritual.
It was in this environment in 1971 that David Shneyer, Alan Oresky and Frank Sparber formed a trio that was to become the Fabrangen Fiddlers. The group started by creating original liturgical music for traditional Hebrew prayers for the Fabrangen community in Washington, DC. Rabbi Arthur Waskow has written extensively about the formation of the Fabrangen community.
The initial line-up of the group featured David Shneyer on vocals, guitar, and harmonica; Alan Oresky on violin and mandolin; and Frank Sparber on clarinet. Sue Roemer joined the group in 1973 and was featured on vocals, piano and guitar. In 1975, Theo Stone joined and was featured on stand-up bass, electric bass guitar, and sitar. Larry Robinson joined in 1978 and was featured on banjo, guitar and bousouki.
