DEC 16-19 | SFJAZZ Holiday Concerts
Dec 16, 2021
Miner Auditorium
PLEASE NOTE:
This page is an archive of a past production
Please visit our calendar for all upcoming SFJAZZ shows.
Original show description below.
The GRAMMY-winning Jewish klezmer superstars return to celebrate the Festival of Light, performing seasonal music from their acclaimed holiday album Happy Joyous Hanukkah that set lyrics by the late Woody Guthrie to their delightful original compositions. Formed in New York’s East Village in 1986, the Klezmatics led the resurgence of the nearly forgotten klezmer tradition and contemporized it with an irreverent dose of punk rock attitude, and since their inception, have been one of most visible faces of today’s Yiddish culture.
Enduring a number of personnel changes over the past two decades, the band has revolved around original members Lorin Sklamberg on lead vocals and accordion, trumpeter/keyboardist Frank London and bassist Paul Morrissett. They have collaborated with violin virtuoso Itzhak Perlman, Pulitzer Prize winner Tony Kushner and Israeli vocalist Chava Alberstein, and have released a dozen diverse albums, including the GRAMMY-winning Wonder Wheel, their first session that set previously unused Woody Guthrie lyrics to their own original material. The group’s most recent release is 2016’s Apikorsim, their first album of all original compositions in a decade.
They have collaborated with violin virtuoso Itzhak Perlman, Pulitzer Prize winner Tony Kushner and Israeli vocalist Chava Alberstein, and have released a dozen diverse albums.
The Klezmatics aren’t just the best band in the klezmer vanguard; on a good night, they can rank among the greatest bands on the planet.
Time Out New York
The Klezmatics aren’t just the best band in the klezmer vanguard; on a good night, they can rank among the greatest bands on the planet.
Time Out New York
Personnel
Lorin Sklamberg lead vocals, accordion, guitar, & piano
Matt Derriau kaval, clarinet, & saxophone
Lisa Gutkin violin & vocals
Frank London trumpet & keyboards
Paul Morrissett bass & tsimbl
Richie Barshay percussion
The sextet masterfully (and seemingly effortlessly) expressed the celebratory and sentimental feelings that are fundamental facets of traditional klezmer music.
Los Angeles Times
Personnel
Lorin Sklamberg lead vocals, accordion, guitar, & piano
Matt Derriau kaval, clarinet, & saxophone
Lisa Gutkin violin & vocals
Frank London trumpet & keyboards
Paul Morrissett bass & tsimbl
Richie Barshay percussion
The sextet masterfully (and seemingly effortlessly) expressed the celebratory and sentimental feelings that are fundamental facets of traditional klezmer music.
Los Angeles Times
Watch & Listen
The Klezmatics
Happy Joyous Hanuka
The Klezmatics
Spin Dreydl Spin
The Klezmatics
Happy Joyous Hanuka
The Klezmatics
Spin Dreydl Spin