JUTTA & THE HI-DUKES

LACONI YSS (Library Administrators Conference of Northern Illinois Youth Services Section) included the Hi-Dukes in their “Best of the Best” list.

Carol Carter (Lake Bluff Public Library’s Head of Adult Programming) wrote: “Your concert was delightful and so entertaining.”

Librarian M. Wegnzyn (Flossmoor Public Library) summed it up, saying: “A musical treat for the whole family to enjoy.”

Living, interactive culture

Awareness of the world, society, and history all increase when the Hi-Dukes introduce folks to the traditional music and dance of over twenty cultures, such as those of the Balkan lands.

Gorgeous musical scales like Hijaz and Sabach ride on the asymmetrical rhythms of the Balkans while the Hi-Dukes play traditional ethnic instruments, like the Bulgarian end-blown flute, Greek baglama, Middle-eastern drums, and world-famous ocarina alongside the violin, mandolin, and guitar. Vocals are sung with up to three-part harmonies.

Audience members learn dances, sing simple songs in non-English languages, and drum along on the band’s percussion.

Jutta & the Hi-Dukes are your travel guides for the Holiday season. The eclectic band takes audiences on a three-continent holiday tour and gets audiences singing and drumming along to a very old French Noel as well as giggling to the humorous version of “Deck The Halls” written by Walt Kelly for his famous cartoon strip “Pogo.”

Folks will learn to count to eight in Ladino (the Spanish-related language of the Sephardic Jews) as part of a Bosnian Chanukah song and then find out about the Julenisse of Danish Christmas tradition. Plus, folks will have the chance to do some simple, fun traditional ethnic circle dances.

Blending Winter Seasonal music with the holiday music of Jews and Christians makes this program a wonderful end-of-the-year change of pace.

For the 200th anniversary of Illinois incorporating as a state, Jutta & the Hi-Dukes developed 200 Years of Ethnic Illinois: A Look at the Cultures Which Shaped Our State.

This lecture sweeps across the prairie of Illinois history giving you a bird’s eye view of culture in this state. Since its incorporation in 1818 and even before then, Illinois has been a crossroads for water and rail travel, attracting people from across the world.

Your patrons will hear how ethnic groups and their skills created the conditions that set the stage for the next wave of immigrants to arrive. The audience will also experience some of the traditional music these immigrants brought with them from Greece, Ireland, Sweden, Bulgaria, and many other cultures.

In this fascinating exploration of Illinois, just as in all the band’s other programs, everyone is invited to participate by singing, drumming, and even dancing with the band.

In Klezmer in America, audiences discover what Klezmer is, how it came to America, and how it helped shape American popular music. The story comes to life via the engaging examples of Klezmer tunes chosen to underline the spoken content.

Audiences will learn how Big Band leaders like Benny Goodman incorporated Klezmer into America’s unique musical style, Swing.

For those who enjoy direct involvement, folks can drum along on band-supplied percussion and the band will lead folks through a Klezmer dance or two.

The Roma (commonly known as “gypsies”) and the Jews have, as primarily landless cultures, faced many of the same challenges.

This musical lecture takes a look at the individual histories of these two groups as well as examining how they have interacted together and how they have been treated by the world at large.