Izzy Kieffer's vital statistics
name: Izzy Kieffer
also known as: Isadore, Isser
born: June 18th, 1965, Skokie, IL
lived: Skokie, IL / Los Angeles, CA / Jerusalem, Israel / Boston, MA / Brooklyn, NY / New York, NY
occupations: musician, songwriter, bandleader, security supervisor, Hebrew and music teacher
instruments: drums, percussion, keyboards, vocals
original bands:
REALITY SHOCK (formerly The Unorthodox) - ongoing songwriting-recording project, NY & NJ
THE ROTTWEILERS - pop-rock, New York, NY
FREEDOM IS PRICELESS - soul-punk-r & b, Asbury Park, NJ
CHINA BLACK - rock, Jerusalem, Israel
REALITY SHOCK (where it began) - experimental jazz-blues-rock, Jerusalem, Israel
musical education:
* drums at the Rubin Academy of Music, Jerusalem, Israel.
* with noted Israeli jazz drummer Aaron (Are'le) Kaminsky, Tel Aviv, Israel.
* theory, harmony, and all that hardcore musical-technical stuff at the Berklee College of Music, Boston, MA.
* jazz harmony with Dan Carillo at the City College of New York and in the Latin ensemble under Ray Santos, also at CCNY.
musical experiences:
* played and sang for three years with the Israel Army Rabbinate Orchestra and Choir, under the leadership of Capt. Moshe (Mona) Rosenblum.
* played in bands and as solo act – live and recorded.
* played in New York-area Jewish wedding bands/orchestras: Neginah, Jerry Markovitz, Shlomo Shai, Avner Levy, Gadi Bodiger, Aaron Goldring, Matt Turk, Jo Amar, Avraham Pengas, Avram Grobard, Mike Aviv, Carmine DiAmico, Yisroel Lamm.
* taught music at the Village Temple and the Greenburgh Hebrew Center, New York.
* assisted with recording in studio; produced several demos for bands and solo projects.
* proficient in musical arranging and composition Wrote 100 (or so) songs, with more still in progress.
served:
twelve years in Orthodox Jewish schools.
three years in the Israel Defense Forces.
eleven years balancing work and college studies.
eight-plus years as an aviation security supervisor at the major New York-area airports.
contact: [email protected]
Shulem Aleichem and greetings!
Please allow me to introduce myself ... my name is Izzy (Isser, Isadore) Kieffer. I play music – preferably for a living. After a long period of hard work, I earned my bachelor's degree from the City College of New York with a double major in Music and Judaic Studies. I'm currently pursuing as Master's in Special Education at Touro College. Right now I'm living in Brooklyn, New York with my wife Rachel, a holistic health counselor. In addition to bringing home the bread, I'm teaching music, recording my own songs, and running my own band/orchestra that plays for all sorts of happy occasions.
