Ljova and the Kontraband

(Photo © by Anna Rozenblat)

LJOVA AND THE KONTRABAND -- is chamber-jam music for the "remix generation". As if by alchemy, Eastern-European and Gypsy melodies, Latin rhythms, Jazz-inspired improvisations, and deeply rooted Classical forms are given new meanings in original compositions that fearlessly forge a new direction, with a nostalgic gaze towards the past.

Since making its debut in June 2006, the ensemble has performed at venues such as New York's Lincoln Center & the Museum of Modern Art, The Kennedy Center in Washington DC, Philadelphia Museum of Art, the Colorado Music Festival in Boulder, and the Brooklyn Academy of Music, where it was the opening musical guest of the Sundance@BAM Film Festival. The Kontraband is also a mainstay at New York's Joe's Pub, and the Brooklyn-based club, Barbes.

Founded by the maverick film composer, arranger, and violist Lev 'LJOVA' Zhurbin --- hailed by Billboard magazine as "one of New York's fastest rising composers and instrumentalists" -- the ensemble also features his close collaborators on vocals, accordion, bass and percussion. Inspired by his collaborations with Yo-Yo Ma, Osvaldo Golijov, the Kronos Quartet, the rapper Jay-Z and others, Ljova's compositions dazzle with intricate textures, odd rhythms and lilting melodies, creating music that is both fresh and timeless. The Kontraband's debut CD, "MNEMOSYNE", features special guests Frank London, William Schimmel, Uli Geissendoerfer, Alon Yavnai and Marcus Rojas. For booking inquiries, please contact booking@Ljova.com.

LJOVA AND THE KONTRABAND is:

-- Ljova (viola)
-- Inna Barmash (vocal)
-- Patrick Farrell (accordion)
-- Mathias Kunzli (percussion)
-- Mike Savino (bass & banjo)

VIDEOS:

-- Visit the Ljova and the Kontraband YouTube Playlist

REVIEWS:

• 
  
  This eclectic violist's music is anything but plain folk
  by Justin Davidson, Newsday



"Quick, name a violist, any violist! [There is] nobody quite like the polymath Lev ['Ljova'] Zhurbin...The music he writes and plays is full of Brahmsian tone, Bartok lines, hiccupping Hungarian rhythms, Klezmer soul and the sexy plaintiveness of tango and the blues." >> [More]




• 
  
  "richly textured palette featuring Eastern European and Gypsy melodies beautifully offset by Latin-tinged rhythms"

  --New Yorker




• "Ljova and the Kontraband play genre-defying music beautifully and soulfully. Organically bringing together influences ranging from classical and new music, klezmer, tango, jazz, Gypsy music and more, their music is smartly original, steeped in tradition while moving those traditions forward. Ljova is also a savvy promoter who continually demonstrates that independent artists can effectively use new models of music distribution and social networking to bring their music to the public on their own terms."
  --Bill Bragin, Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, New York City




• Swinging Violas by Alexander Gelfand, Jazziz



"...This past January, the Russian-born, New York City-based violist Ljova and his Vjola Contraband drew a full house at Joe's Pub in Manhattan, forcing fans to stand three-deep at the room's swanky, dimly lit bar. Rarely have I seen so many young, attractive people pay to hear a band with no less than two violists not to mention an accordion player, an acoustic bassist, and a percussionist who bears a striking resemblance to Sideshow Bob....

The off-kilter rhythms he favors recall the asymmetrical dance beats of central and southeastern Europe, where time signatures tend to look like hat sizes (7/8, 13/8, 15/16). They tug and pull at you in strange and mysterious ways, as do Ljova's melodies, which have the tuneful, emotive quality of good pop.">> [More]

TRACKS FOR SALE:

(buy mp3s below, or see links at left for iTunes, CDBaby, and Amazon.)

Special guests & collaborators:

-- Ash / Æ - (vocal/instrumental duet)
-- Aszure Barton & Artists (dancers)
-- Brooklyn Rider
-- Ron Caswell (tuba)
-- Taylor Bergren-Chrisman (bass)
-- Mike Block (cello)
-- Sarah Darling (viola)
-- EmiKa (laptop & remixing)
-- Freefall (dancers)
-- Uli Geissendoerfer (piano)
-- Frank London (trumpet & flugelhorn)
-- Shoko Nagai (accordion & piano)
-- Parker String Quartet
-- Reuben Radding (bass)
-- Marcus Rojas (tuba)
-- Juan Pablo Jofre Romarion (bandoneon)
-- Rich Stein (percussion)
-- Satoshi Takeishi (percussion)
-- Mary Wilson -- of The Supremes (vocal)
-- Ronn Yedidia (accordion)
-- Alon Yavnai (piano)

PAST DATES: