David Krakauer and Kathleen Tagg are back with “Krakauer & Tagg’s Good Vibes Explosion”, playing several dates at prestigious festivals across Europe.
The album “Mazel Tov Cocktail Party” was released on February 25, 2022 by Label Bleu and Table Pounding Records / L’Autre Distribution to rave reviews (see below).
David Krakauer and Kathleen Tagg have since decided to rename the project “Krakauer & Tagg’s Good Vibes Explosion”, as this is more in line with what they want to convey: “an uncategorized explosion of good vibes, with incredibly diverse music and people coming together in a new global sound.’’
Krakauer & Tagg’s Good Vibes Explosion consists of:
David Krakauer, clarinet and vocals
Kathleen Tagg, keyboards, cello, accordion, electronics/samples
Sarah MK, MC, vocals and rap
Martin Shamoonpour, daf (Iranian frame drum), jaw harp and mouth percussion
Yoshie Fruchter, electric guitar, oud and mandolin
Jerome Harris, bass and vocals
John Hadfield, drums and percussion
The artists will perform this summer in Europe on the following dates:
– July 5: Jazz à Vienne (38)
– July 7: Rudolstadt Festival (Germany)
– July 26 & 27: Schleswig Holstein Festival (Germany)
They will also be performing in France in the autumn:
– November 19: La Seine musicale, Boulogne (92)
– November 20: Éclats d’Émail Jazz Édition, Limoges (87)
– November 23: Cité musicale, L’Arsenal, Metz (57)
From Mazel Tov Cocktail Party to Krakauer & Tagg’s Good Vibes Explosion:
Always in search of new aesthetic frontiers and new sounds, clarinetist, composer and conductor David Krakauer has teamed up with producer Kathleen Tagg to create a cathartic expression of joy and affirmation. In response to the rise of bigotry and intolerance around the world, Krakauer and Tagg have assembled a team of artists from a wide variety of genres and cultural backgrounds to convey a counter-message of positivity that celebrates our common humanity.
Good Vibes Explosion was conceived and created by Krakauer and producer Kathleen Tagg as an “explosion of good vibrations” in response to the current climate of incredible polarization and negativity that pervades our daily lives.
Their album, Mazel Tov Cocktail Party, with a tongue-in-cheek title that references a pundit’s slip-of the tongue, has received rave reviews across North America and Europe. Alongside Krakauer and Tagg, the project showcases a multi-generational/high-octane group of collaborators from very different backgrounds, hailing from the USA, Canada, Iran and South Africa: clarinet virtuoso Krakauer stands out as the godfather of Tagg‘s eccentric keyboards and production, Iranian drummer and multi-talent Martin Shamanpoor, the virtuoso bass of jazz guru Jerome Harris, the voice and words of soul singer and rapper Sarah MK and the lines of oudist/guitarist Yoshie Fruchter.
Together they embrace the diversity of today’s America through their unique take on a multitude of traditional roots musics, bringing their enormous musical and cultural diversity to the project and collaborating to create powerful original material. Old forms are celebrated both by bringing them into a 21st century sound-world and expanding the context to make room for new stories. This project was created in response to the current climate of polarization that pervades our daily lives. In these uncertain times, it’s a chance to come together to celebrate our common humanity and foster joy, positivity and togetherness. Their influences are global, but the sound they create collectively has produced something uniquely their own. Familiar dance forms such as Polka or Square Dance never sounded this way before, with hand drumming, propulsive electronic beats, lyrics calling for catharsis and positivity, deep grooves and Krakauer’s wailing clarinet crying out for us to join together, celebrate and feel the power in our aliveness.
For 25 years, David Krakauer has spearheaded projects that bring together multicultural elements in unexpected ways. He is considered one of the leading forces redefining and reimagining the music of his Eastern European Jewish cultural heritage. In 2008, he founded Table Pounding Records as a hub for cross-genre projects. Then in 2015, Kathleen Tagg joined Krakauer in the production and creation of Table Pounding Records: Table Pounding Music.
