Klezmer Coast to Coast
by Keith and Renah Wolzinger
KlezKanada is a great place to make life long friends who have a lot in common—especially musically. That is the case with Renah Wolzinger and Stuart Warshauer. Renah and Stu met several years ago, hanging out at the airport in Montreal, waiting for the camp bus. They played together many times at the Klez Cabaret, and became great friends.
One evening at dinner, Stuart mentioned that he wished he could make a recording of his violin. Luckily, Renah owns RenZone Studios in Southern California, a Digital Recording Studio, and teaches Recording Engineering at Golden West College. She suggested that Stuart fly out to California and record in her studio.
Stu mailed tunes from Florida, and Renah assembled the band—members of the South Coast Simcha Band, which she directs. When Stu arrived in California, it was a mini KlezKanada reunion. We rehearsed the next day, and started recording in the evening. Stuart and Renah collaborated on the arrangements, and a CD project was born—Klezmer Coast to Coast, featuring Stuart on violin, and Renah on clarinet.
It was a wonderful project, which has turned into a great CD of tunes enjoyed by audiences of all ages. It was a great experience and we look forward to sharing our music with everyone as we prepare for our next joint project.