KlezCalendar

The Guy Mendilow Band performs centuries-old music from Jewish communities from places such as Smyrna, Salonica, Jerusalem and Sarajevo, sung in the Judeo-Spanish Ladino. Stories of sailors seduced by sirens at sea, murder, intrigue, fantastic dreams and the treachery of kings and queens abound in these colourful canticas. Led by Israeli performer Guy Mendilow, the group makes this ancient music relevant to modern audiences by recasting it through the multicultural lens drawn from the places Mendilow and his musicians have called home, from Israel and Brazil to the United States. The result is a dynamic blend of Sephardi tempered with Brazilian street beats and blues in vibrant musical storytelling awash with warm vocal harmonies, intricate textures and spellbinding rhythms.

"This isn't for quirky ears, it's for jaded ears that need to be shaken awake with something substantially different that keeps the interest on the beam throughout. Delightfully different, even when it seems like it might be familiar." —Midwest Record