Decadent 1920s European cabaret, vintage Americana, tango, Balkan folk ballads, belly dance, opera, Old World Yiddish theater . . . there's certainly something for just about anyone in a performance by Vagabond Opera. Firmly in the vanguard of the current neo-cabaret upwelling, this six-piece Oregon-based ensemble offers up quite an irresistible musical goulash they themselves call "1920s-style globalization.

Led by Eric Stern, an operatic tenor, accordionist, pianist, and composer with a flair for the theatrical gesture, the ensemble also features Robin Jackson on tenor saxophone, Jason Flores on upright bass, cellist Skip VonKuske, percussionist Mark Burdon, and Leslie Kernochan, an operatic soprano and alto saxophone player. Weaving together elements of Kurt Weil, Duke Ellington, Edith Piaf, and Marlene Dietrich with an absurdist attitude and an old world mood, Vagabond Opera presents the new wave of opera: a cabaret of rich musical phrasing and sparkling lyrics in 11 languages, performed with exuberance, skill, and a gritty edge.

The group released a self-titled CD last year, but we imagine you'll want to catch them live—we know we do!