The Klezmatics

Question: What does traditional Eastern European Jewish music and folk icon Woody Guthrie have in common? Answer: The Grammy-winning band from NYC, The Klezmatics. The sextet won their Grammy for “Best Contemporary World Music Album” in 2006 for their record Wonder Wheel, which set lyrics by Woody Guthrie to the band’s original jazz-influenced klezmer music that also draws inspiration from punk, funk, Arab, African, and Balkan rhythms. After meeting Guthrie’s daughter at a show they performed with violin virtuoso Itzhak Perlman, they uncovered a slew of unrecorded Jewish-themed songs in the Woody Guthrie archives, including some about his annual Hanukkah parties. Many were inspired by his mother-in-law, Aliza Greenblat, a renowned Yiddish poet who considered Guthrie a kindred spirit and whose poems were the basis of the Klezmatics song “Fisherlid.” The Klezmatics have also worked with artists from beat poet Allen Ginsberg to Jewish gospel singer Joshua Nelson, keeping the collaborative spirit of klezmer music alive. Remaining rooted in the tradition, they have even been known to rock an occasional wedding or two, including Charlotte’s from “Sex In the City”. (Appearing with Tom Morello at Metro on May 19) –text: Ariel Sundel