August Bandcamp Friday: amazing new music for the dog days of summer
It's Bandcamp Friday. This is the day to make purchases from Bandcamp, because all of the proceeds go 100% to the musicians. I've been distracted this month, so there are fewer new articles on the KlezmerShack than recently, but here's what's new. It's been a good month for Klezmer, but that's not all I have been listening to:
- Klezmer fiddler ZOË AQUA has a live album out (there is also a new recording coming out for Khanike). "In a Sea of Stars" was recorded in synagogues in Romania in 2025, with an amazing band of klezmorim and young traditional Romanian musicians:
- Boston klezmer leading REBECCA MAC has a first album of originals, "Night Bird" out under her own name. Powerful fiddling with some of my favorite Boston AllStars.
- Bay Area band, BAYMELE, was in Boston earlier this year, performing amazing material from their 2025 release, "Sapling".
- Closing the Eastern Europe circle, Christina Crowder (who I first met when she was playing klezmer in Eastern Europe 30 years ago) has assembled a dynamic band, THE ZAMLERS TRIO, to bring "Tunes from the Kiselgof-Makonovetsky Corpus" to life. Music much, much livelier than the title of the recording ;-)
- Old friend ZACH MAYER released a wonderful album of religious nigunim, "Zeh HaYom." Not klezmer, but you will definitely enjoy
- The punk folk duo, BRIVELE, from Portland, OR, recorded "Khaveyrim zayt greyt" in 2025. I heard them live, again, at Yiddish New York, and knew I had to get something up.
Coming Soon/Preorder now
- FRANK LONDON's new project with the Loisaida Fife & Drum Corps, "Touzle your kurchy" releases Aug 28.
- JON MADOFF's latest on Tzadik, "Netzakh" releases Aug 14 on Tzadik, with a new trio including Yoshie Fruchter (bass) and Nate Rappaport (drums). Not to be missed.
- Pianist/singing POLINA SHEPHERD's new recording, "Aza bloye nakht" (Such a blue night) is available for pre-order on BandCamp. It releases on 4-Sep-2026 and features Merlin Shepherd and Lorin Sklamberg.