Wednesday, April 6, 2011

Red Hook Ramblers to accompany Buster Keaton comedies at the Fabulous Jalopy



Who: The Red Hook Ramblers
What: Live Music-Silent Film Screening of Buster Keaton’s “Cops” and “The Playhouse”

When: Sunday, April 10, 8:00 p.m.
Phone: 718.395.3214
Where: Jalopy Theater & School of Music

Cost: $10

Dixieland band teams with acclaimed old-time music venue for jazz-age movie night; screening to include short classics “Cops” & “The Playhouse”

The Red Hook Ramblers, Brooklyn’s premier Dixieland band, will make their first-ever foray into silent film accompaniment when they provide live music for a pair of silent comedy classics at Jalopy Theater & School of Music in Brooklyn this Sunday.

On April 10th, the six-piece band will perform their New Orleans-style jazz to screenings of Buster Keaton’s “The Playhouse” (1921) and “Cops” (1922), two of the most popular short comedies by the iconic silent film director and actor. Following the screenings, the band will perform selections from their new CD, Something More Sinister, a collection of burlesque-inspired original tracks.

The show is presented by Jalopy Theater & School of Music, a celebrated mainstay of the city’s country, blues, folk, and jazz community located in Red Hook, Brooklyn. In 2008, the Village Voice named Jalopy the Best Old-Timey Venue in New York.

Founded in 2005, the Red Hook Ramblers are among the leading torchbearers of New York's revitalized traditional jazz scene. In past years, they’ve led the Louis Armstrong House Museum’s celebration of the trumpeter’s birthday, toured Switzerland, and played a sold-out concert with the Squirrel Nut Zippers. More recently, they’ve been named the New York Jets’ Home Game Hype Band, and have established themselves as in-demand live burlesque accompaniment through residencies at the Slipper Room and Galapagos Art Space's Floating Kabarette as well as appearances in other neo-vaudeville productions.

Widely regarded as one of the best comic actors and film directors of all time, Buster Keaton was among the silent era’s biggest comedic stars, along with Charlie Chaplin and Harold Lloyd. His flair for rapid-fire gags is at its peak in the classic chase farce “Cops,” while “The Playhouse,” which opens with Keaton playing nine roles at once, showcases his genius for special effects.

“Buster Keaton’s comedy was so pure and universal that the humor translates flawlessly today, and that’s the kind of timelessness we try to convey when we perform traditional jazz,” said Jason Benjamin, cornetist with the Red Hook Ramblers. “It’s thrilling to collaborate in this way with an artist from an era so close to our hearts, and there’s no better place to conjure his spirit and share our joy for his work than Jalopy.”

In the burlesque spirit of the band’s new CD, Jalopy will kick off the show by screening a series of short burlesque clips from the silent era, accompanied by selections from Jalopy’s collection of vintage jazz recordings.

Tickets are $10 and will be available for purchase at the door. Jalopy has a limited bar that serves beer, wine, soft drinks, and coffee drinks.

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