Bands and Performing Groups: Klezmer, Jewish, and Related or Derivative musics

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Klezmer Bands, "G"

Di Galitzyaner Klezmorim - Trio Galicyjskie is a traditional Jewish klezmer music band from Poland (Cracow). Band members include Mariola Spiewak - clarinet; Grzegorz Spiewak - accordion; Rafal Seweryniak - double bass. Tel: (+48 12) 420 32 70. Mobile: (+48) 609 475 980. Web: www.klezmorim.pl. (Rafal Seweryniak)

Garlic & Onions is based in Somerville, MA. We perform all types of Jewish music: from traditional klezmer, to Chassidic nigunim, Israeli and Yiddish folksong, Jewish art- and theater-song, and even original compositions! We perform for weddings, bar/bat-mitzvahs, parties, celebrations, and festivals, in nursing homes and assisted-living residences, and can put together special programs for holidays or other occasions. Our spirit and motto is that: "we play this music for the deep joy and feeling it expresses, for the emotion it enables each of us to express. We play because we love to, because the music is deep in our bones." We hope and believe that this reaches each of our listeners in some personal way. We have up to seven musicians - (clarinet/saxophone; accordion/keyboards; acoustic bass; percussion; violin; trombone; mandolin) as well as a vocalist and any combination of instrumentalists is possible! Tel: (617)-629-3870, (Ben Pasamanik)

Generation Klez - Klezmer music with a modern edge! We are a 4-piece band (violin, clarinet, guitar/mandolin, bass) currently playing in the Connecticut area. From sensitive folk songs to traditional Klezmer, our band will complement any joyous occasion and provide a personal setting for your festive event. Tel: 413/253-9151. Web: www.generationklez.com. (Craig Harwood).

Generation-K is a band of young musicians who play the Jewish music of Eastern Europe known as Klezmer. Originally formed at KlezKanada, an annual, week-long Klezmer workshop festival north of Montréal, Generation-K eventually grew to include many of the young Klezmer musicians in the New York area. Web: www.jeremyb.com/gen-k. (Jeremy Bloom)

Gettabang, Paris, France. Ils developpent leur folklore imaginaire a travers descompositions originales aux influences tzigane, klezmer, arabo-andalouse, indienne, ethiopienne, new orleans et brodent leurs melodies ethniques sur des rythmes swing, mais aussi reggae, ska, funk, samba. Forts d'une grande experience scenique et s'appuyant sur une formation modulable, leurs airs, entetants et entrainants a la fois, sont chuchotes dans une atmosphere feutree ou bien chantes a tue-tete dans une ambiance fanfaronne (rue, deambulations) selon l'occasion. Cette musique, polyglotte et rigolote, festive ou meditative, mais jamais intello ni figee, Gettabang, aime la partager partout et tout le temps: salles, peniches, festivals, bars, rues de Paris, de Grenade et dailleurs … Web: www.gettabang.com.

GhettoPlotz, based in London, UK, takes Klezmer to the dancefloor... a mix of Klezmer and Eastern european rifs over solid house beats and groovy, fat bass. Loudly exploding all over London, this fourpiece consisting of Mark White on Laptop and Keyboards, Tanya Winston on Decks, Laoise on Fiddle, Mandolin and vocals and Miki Graham on funky visuals, are making crowds go wild to the sound of Jewish... Tel: 0044(0)2078984307. Web: www.ghettoplotz.com. (Laoise Davidson)

The Binyomin Ginzberg Trio is the perfect musical group for your simcha. We play all styles of Jewish music including Klezmer, Israeli, Hassidic and Contemporary Jewish music. We are based in NYC. More information and sound clips of our two albums are available at our website, www.jewishmusician.com. Both CDs, including the new (2005/5765) CD of Purim music, are available from CDBaby.com. Tel: (212) 864-6859. (Binyomin Ginzberg)

Glik is a klezmer band based in Aurillac/Saint Etienne, France. The band, formed in 2001, is composed by 5 musicians : David Brossier - accordeon, violin; Sylvestre Genniaux - doublebass; Pierre-Alexis Lavergne - mandolin, trombone; David Lefèbvre - bouzouki, tsimbl & vocals; Vincent Perier - clarinet. The music dip in the old klezmer repertoire, relieved by yiddish folk songs, generally played in a traditionnal way or influenced by other styles (rumanian, jamaican…), and always leaded lively by the band. Albums : "Dovids Klezmer Orkester" (2004); "Klezmer fun brunen aroys" (2007). Tel: 00 33 (0)6 64 89 03 04. Web: www.glik.fr. (David Lefèbvre)

The David Glukh Klezmer Ensemble is one of the most unusual ensembles of it's kind. Eclectic by repertoire and design, the group is composed of David Glukh (piccolo trumpet), Ronn Yedidia (accordion), David Keen(violin), Yuval Edoot (percussion), Eddy Khaimovich ( bass). The ensemble have performed worldwide to a critical acclaim. Their performances include traditional klezmer music along with special "fusions" between klezmer and other musical traditions of the world. --> ( Irish, Gypsy, Classical, Latin, Jazz, Georgian, Arabic, Chinese, Macedonian, Israeli, Hassidic, Russian, Funk, Tango, Flamenco, Indian etc.) Variety of Radio and TV stations have broadcasted group's performances. In April 2003 the group has released its first CD, as recorded live in concert in New York City. Ensemble's new CD, recorded in Award -Winning Bennett Studios is to be released in the early 2005. Please check out the video sampler on our website: www.glukh.com. (David Glukh)

Gmish plays klezmer in Chapel Hill North Carolina. Web: philblank.com/gmish.html. (Phil Blank)

Di Gojim are a Dutch klezmer band. Consisting of non-Jewish performers "who just like klez" the band is very popular and has released several excellent albums of American-style, brassy klezmer. These pages have reviewed "Grine Medine," "Fun sjtetl un sjtets," "Oostenwind," "Noch a Sjoh" and Ergens... (2001). Web: www.digojim.nl.

The Golden Gate Gypsy Orchestra. See "Kona's Traveling Jewish Wedding Band."

The Golden State Klezmers have been playing in Los Angeles from 1980. The band has 8 musicians - Clarinet, Accordion, Violin, Bass, Guitar, Trumpet, Trombone, and Drums. We recorded klezmer music for several movies, have three CD's and played for many shows and hundreds of live concerts. A capsule review of our 1997 album, "Freilach Time!" is available here on the Klezmer Shack. Web: MySpace.com/GoldenStateKlezmers. Tel: (323) 656-8458. (Zinovy Goro)

The Goldene Medina Band brings the music of Eastern Europe and the Lower East Side to Southern California. Tap your feet to the klezmer hits of yesteryear and sing along with Hebrew and Yiddish favorites. From a trio to a 10-piece orchestra, this band will add zest and a freilich spirit to any simcha, large or small. Tel: 818-889-4158. Web: davewinstone.com/Klezmer.htm. (Dave Winstone)

Golem, based in New York City, plays edgy, chaotic Eastern Euro stuff plus a few standards. The band features Annette Ezekiel (vocals,accordion), Aaron Diskin (vocals), Taylor Bergren-Chrisman (doublebass), Laura Cromwell (drums), Curtis Hasselbring (trombone), Alicia Jo Rabins (violin), and other guests who may pop in. Tel: 212-866-6943. Web: www.golemrocks.com. (Annette Ezekiel)

The gonifsklezmer band formed in the San Franciso Bay Area in 1996 when accordionist/ Yiddishist Jeanette Lewicki & clarinetist Peter Jaques started meeting in record collector Martin Schwartz's living room to listen to his old 78s of Yiddish, Turkish & Greek music. Jeanette (Klez-X, Yiddish Tango Project, Max & Minka) & Peter (Brass Menazeri, Stellamara) soon formed a band to present rare Yiddish underworld songs along with klezmer classics in tight, fresh, imaginative arrangements. Featuring members of Veretski Pass, the gonifs' breakout CD on Porto Franco Records includes songs learned from Ruth Rubin, Morris Goldstein, Naftuli Brandwein, Michael Alpert & Rosa Eskenazi about prison, liberation, doomed love, & potatoes. Sales of the CD benefit the Prisoners Literature Project. The gonifs are a gang with rotating personnel including, but not limited to: Stuart Brotman (cello), Sheldon Brown (clerinet), Daniel Fabricant (bass), Josh Horowitz (accordion), Peter Jaques (clarinet), Darren Johnston (trumpet), Aaron Kierbel (drums), Jeanette Lewicki (accordion, vocals), Rob Reich (accordion), Cookie Segelstein (fiddle). Jeanette Lewicki has taught Yiddish to Michael Tillson Thomas, founded Accordionists Against The Death Penalty, & recently helped YIVO digitize nearly 1000 Ruth Rubin recordings from reel-to-reel tape. Peter Jaques is currently a Fulbright scholar in Greece. Web: madamlevitsky.com/. (Jeanette Lewicki)

Based in the San Francisco Bay Area, the Saul Goodman Klezmer Band comes from a musical tradition tracing back to the old world shtetl of Szrensk. Incorporating post-immigrant sounds rooted in klezmer tradition, Saul Goodman's music moves the spirit and the dance. It’s always a simcha with Saul! Regulars include Mike Perlmutter (clarinet), Dave Rosenfeld (mandolin, violin, percussion), Dmitri Gaskin (accordion). (Mike Perlmutter)

They love what they do and it shows! The Grand Avenue Band's high-energy performance will keep you dancing all night long and their experienced Master Of Ceremonies will ensure that your event runs smoothly and to your satisfaction. Individually members of the band emanate personality and talent. Together as a group they are simply amazing and able to please even the most discriminating audience. An extraordinary combination of 5 fabulous vocalists and multi-instrumentalists puts them in a class of their own, gives them unparalleled versatility in song selection and the ability to give authentic renditions that sound like original recordings. The band performs Jazz Standards, Pop/TOP 40, Hip-Hop, Motown, Disco, Rock and Oldies as well as Jewish traditional songs and is perfect for multi- cultural events with a diverse guest list. Tel: 216.391.1203 or toll free 866.68.ELITE. Web: www.grandavenueband.com. (Helena Wolfand)

The Steven Greenman Klezmer Ensemble, based in Cleveland, OH, is dedicated to performing compositions by Steven Greenman and the transitional Jewish/Moldavian klezmer repertoire. (Steven Greenman)

Di Grine Kuzine was formed in Berlin in 1993. The band plays music from the heart of Europe. Music, which on its journey through time and over continents has constantly reinvented itself. It is this cosmopolitan, klezmer balkan and who knows what else which inspires and motivates the band. The result is very personal. They love what they play. Perhaps that is the reason for the heart-quickening freshness with which they have won themselves a loyal audience in their 300 concerts over the last 3 years, an audience which spans all generations. They released "Klezmer's Paradise" in 1999. Their latest CD is "Feribot" (2001). Tel: +49/30/4410345. Web: www.kuzine.de.

Groyse Metsie, based in Pardes Hannah, Israel. From the depths of the Jewish "Nigunim" melodies out of the jewish tradition of kabbalah. "A Groyse Metsie" skillfuly combines touching acoustic solo pieces, breakbit and funky grooves, trip hop ambience and rock and roll power with the soulful fire of klezmer jewish music . A Groyse Metsie is a band that brings the new into the old, a group of hyper talented-super diverse musicians who make a point of expressing a highly spiritual message in a very groovy and fun lovin way. Tel: 972-77-4900149. Web: www.groyse.com.

Leon Gurvitch is a composer, arranger, conductor, pianist and band leader based in Hamburg, Germany. He founded his own band in 2000. The musician together with his Leon Gurvitch Project has lately become prominent on the German as well as the European klezmer & jazz scene. Inspired by the folk tunes of his motherland Belarus, the compositions of Leon Gurvitch are always reminiscent of his roots. The composer himself characterizes his music as folk jazz. Perceptible influence of Russian, Balkan and Oriental elements as well as that of klezmer motives imparts particular energy to Leon Gurvitch's compositions. This typical feature of his music creates a unique individual style and thus distinguishes itself among the wide spectrum of world music streams. The klezmer compositions of Gurvitch, possessing their own dynamics, by no means pass into the range of traditional. All compositions and arrangements of Leon Gurvitch belong to East-European tradition and at the same time obviously cross the borders of national music, embodying traditional European jazz stylistics. Compositions coming from the Gurvitch's pen may be regarded as an exclusive form, which can be noteworthy on the international music arena. Web: www.leon-gurvitch.de.

We are the Gypsy Jive Band. We play klezmer ethno-fusion country & eastern. In playing klezmer music in smaller communities around Ontario, we have had to adapt klezmer for our non-traditional audiences. Hence you would hear us play such classics as "Sweet Georgia Brownstein" or "Romania the Brave" or " Love Potion No. NEIN" or "An Irish Shmedley". We play traditional klezmer and Eastern European genres as well for our Toronto and wedding gigs. You can hear our style on our first CD, "Dance Me" (2000). Contact: Gary Weinger, c/o Gypsy Jive Band, 150 2nd Ave East, Owen Sound, Ontario N4K 2E6. Tel: (519) 371-8775 / fax: (519) 372-1301.


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