Line up

• David Licht (drums, percussion, vocals)
• Frank London (trumpet, cornet, alto horn, flugelhorn, piano, org)
• Lisa Gutkin (violin, baritone violin, vocals)
• Lorin Sklamberg (lead vocals, accordion, high-strung guitar, piano,)
• Matt Darriau (clarinet, bass clarinet, alto sax, kaval, flutes, )
• Paul Morrissett (electric and acoustic basses, piano, violin, harda)

• country:
  USA
• region:
  North America
• style(s):
  Jazz Klezmer
• label:
  Piranha Musik Produktion & Verlag AG
• type:
  Band, Composer/Songwriter
• gender:
  male, female
• instrumentation:
  instrumental, vocal
• artist submitted by:
  Piranha Musik Produktion & Verlag AG

Klezmer superstars The Klezmatics have certainly come a long way since recording their debut album, Shvaygn=Tot, for Piranha at the end of their week of triumphant performances at Berlin&8217;s first Heimatklaenge festival in 1988. Over the course of nearly twenty years, they have released six albums of wild, spiritual, provocative, reflective, and ecstatically danceable music, forever redefining and transcending traditional labels. They have collaborated with numerous musical luminaries including Arlo Guthrie, classical legend Itzhak Perlman, Israeli icons Chava Albertstein and Ehud Banay, beat legend Allen Ginsberg, avant-garde experimentalist John Zorn, The Master Musicians of Jajouka (a 4,000 year old Moroccan rock ensemble), Nubian Egyptian percussionist Mahmoud Fadl, and KosherGospel singer Joshua Nelson and gained an international reputation as the most innovative contemporary Klezmer band of all. Their kind of Klezmer is one steeped in Jewish spiritualism and Eastern European tradition while incorporating more provocative themes such as social rights and anti-fundamentalism with eclectic musical influences such as gospel, punk, and Arab, African, and Balkan rhythms.

Their most recent album, Wonder Wheel (JMG Record), melds The Klezmatics' unique take on Klezmer with the English lyrics of American folk icon Woody Guthrie. The album won a GRAMMY in the category of Best Contemporary World Music Album at the 49th Annual GRAMMY Awards in 2007. (, 2006


DISCOGRAPHY
2006 Wonder Wheel - JMG Records
2006 Woody Guthrie's Happy Joyous Hanukkah -Jewish Music Group
2004 Brother Moses Smote the Water; with Joshua Nelson & Kathryn Farmer - Piranha CD 1896
2003 Rise Up - Piranha CD 1686
1998 The Well - Rave Reviews
1997 Possessed - Piranha CD 1148
1994 Jews with Horns - Piranha CD 35
1991 Rhythm+Jews - Piranha CD 25
1989 Shvaygn=Toyt - Piranha CD 20

Links

• The Piranha Klezmatics Website
• The Klezmatics Homepage
• The Klezmatics on Wikipedia