In Eastern Europe, the roots of "world music" go back centuries: historically, Jews, Christians, Moslems, Rumanians, Ukrainians, and Roma played music together in this multicultural area where professional musicians had to know as many musical styles as the diverse peoples among whom they lived. Veretski Pass, a trio of veteran klezmer artists, plays "old country" music that ranges from the melodies of medieval Poland and dances from Bessarabia, Ruthenia, and Bukovina to music originating in the Ottoman Empire -- much of which they learned from field recordings they themselves gathered.

Cookie Segelstein (Budowitz, New Haven Symphony Orchestra), Joshua Horowitz (Budowitz), and Stuart Brotman (Ellis Island Band, The Klezmorim, San Francisco Klezmer Experience, Brave Old World) synthesize raw energy and polished musicianship to produce music of unusual depth and power on a variety of traditional instruments, including violin, viola, button accordion, bass, bassetl (three-stringed bass), basy (three-stringed Polish folk cello), baraban (Jewish style drum), and tsimbl (hammered dulcimer).

On stage, as on its recent self-titled album, Veretski Pass extends an irresistible invitation to discover a lost musical world full of deeply felt emotions and unbound energy.

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