The Klezmorim

The Klezmorim

Company type	Band
Industry	Music
Founded	1975 in Berkeley, California, United States
Founder	David Skuse, Lev Liberman, David Julian Gray
Headquarters	Berkeley , United States
Products	Klezmer music albums and performances

The Klezmorim, established in 1975 in Berkeley, California, holds the distinction of being the inaugural band of the klezmer revival movement. They are widely recognized for igniting the worldwide resurgence of klezmer—the traditional instrumental music of Eastern European Yiddish culture—during the 1970s and 1980s. Originally, their sound featured flute and string instruments, highlighted by co-founder David Skuse’s distinctive fiddling style. Over time, the group transformed into a dynamic brass, reed, and percussion ensemble characterized as "loose, roaring, funky," led by co-founder Lev Liberman on saxophones and founding clarinetist David Julian Gray. As a professional group dedicated to reviving early 20th-century klezmer music, The Klezmorim achieved notable crossover appeal, earning a Grammy nomination in 1982 for their album Metropolis and selling out prominent venues across North America and Europe—including two performances at Carnegie Hall in 1983 and a show at Paris’s L'Olympia. The band maintained steady activity until 1993 before reuniting for a European tour in 2004.

Venues and audiences

Starting as a street-performing duo in Berkeley, violinist David Skuse and flutist Lev Liberman expanded their lineup in 1975 to include musicians such as David Julian Gray, forming a Balkan/Yiddish party quintet briefly named the Sarajevo Folk Ensemble. They debuted under the name The Klezmorim in April 1976 and secured a regular monthly engagement at the Freight & Salvage Coffeehouse. It was here that folklorist and producer Chris Strachwitz signed them to Arhoolie Records. Although Liberman extensively studied rare Yiddish recordings, connecting with the Jewish community proved challenging because their repertoire seemed unfamiliar; consequently, they gained recognition primarily through performances at mainstream folk clubs and dance venues.

By 1979, after releasing two albums that received airplay on college radio stations, The Klezmorim embarked on an intensive touring schedule throughout North America. Their work inspired a new generation of klezmer groups such as Kapelye and the Klezmer Conservatory Band. For more than ten years, they toured widely, attracting sold-out audiences at universities, concert halls, cabarets, and festivals. Publicity was often enhanced by live radio broadcasts or spontaneous public performances.

Their initially playful humor evolved into more refined stage productions influenced by theatrical ensembles like the Mystic Knights of the Oingo Boingo. The Klezmorim developed minimalist theatrical presentations combining New Vaudeville styles with agitprop elements, reflecting the social upheavals that motivated klezmer musicians' migration to jazz-era America. A Paris critic characterized their performance as "a voyage on a Hell-bound train from Poland to Brooklyn via Mississippi." The band described their shows as "a fast-moving, surreal cabaret revue... Vaudeville meets the Twilight Zone," incorporating influences from Grand Guignol theatre, Kabuki drama, revival meetings, protest demonstrations, and animated cartoons. Their genre-blending approach reached its zenith during a 1983 collaboration with The Flying Karamazov Brothers.

Despite their rebellious flair, The Klezmorim were committed musicians who practiced diligently and defied categorization as simply "folk" or "ethnic" performers. They maintained that their vintage musical style could appeal to any audience without compromising artistic integrity. Their fan base was notably diverse, including aficionados of classical music, jazz listeners, musical theatre attendees, world music devotees, avant-garde performance art followers, children and teenagers alike, inmates, college students, professionals from various industries, Jews, African-Americans, and Indians. Their artistic stature was solidified by two sold-out concerts at Carnegie Hall in February 1983.

Throughout the 1980s, The Klezmorim sought broader media exposure through appearances on public radio programs and television shows. Contributions to soundtracks as well as roles in documentaries, theatrical productions, and films further established their presence within popular culture. They received several Bammy Award nominations (1978, 1979, 1984) alongside their Grammy nod for Metropolis.

By the mid-1980s, both jazz enthusiasts and rock audiences across Europe and North America embraced the band’s music. European fans familiar with Romani traditions responded enthusiastically to their lively street-party atmosphere—particularly in countries like The Netherlands, Germany, and France—where they headlined major jazz festivals and enjoyed modest pop success. In regions such as France, Belgium, Switzerland, and occasionally California, they performed full concerts conducted entirely in French.

Repertoire and style

The Klezmorim concentrated their musical selections on Yiddish instrumental pieces from Russian, Ukrainian, and Romanian origins dating before 1930. Their collection included soulful, melancholic doinas alongside spirited dances such as the joc, sirba, bulgar, volakh, freylekhs, honga, and kolomeyke. These works were sourced from 78-rpm records and archival manuscripts supplied by institutions like the Judah Magnes Museum, UC Berkeley's Martin Schwartz, and collectors including jazz historian Richard Hadlock. They played a pivotal role in reviving the repertoire of 1920s clarinetist Naftule Brandwein, enriching the klezmer tradition alongside big-band klezmer compositions by Abe Schwartz, Harry Kandel, Art Shryer, and Joseph Cherniavsky.

Emulating the diverse influences of earlier klezmer artists, The Klezmorim blended Balkan brass elements and 1920s jazz standards that shared modal or historical connections with klezmer, creating a fusion style that merged klezmer with jazz. Despite this eclecticism, their core aesthetic remained deeply anchored in Romanian and Tsarist Russian musical traditions, striving to capture the soundscape preceding the advent of recording technology. Later performances incorporated original klezmer-fusion pieces composed by members such as Ben Goldberg ("Peggy's Rice Hill"), Lev Liberman ("Mardi Gras in Minsk"), and Stuart Brotman ("Waltz Roman à Clef"), although these experimental works were rarely featured on their six official albums.

Critics lauded The Klezmorim for their meticulous ensemble precision, praising their "impeccable group performance," "lightning-fast virtuosity," and profound grasp of klezmer’s intricate harmonic and rhythmic structures. Their dynamic use of collective improvisation ensured each concert was distinct, often employing uncommon instrumental pairings to simulate the richness of a larger orchestra. One French critic described their playing as "a whirlwind, an exhilarating labyrinth of notes," while a reviewer from the UK remarked they "undoubtedly perform more notes per minute than nearly any other ensemble," rendering rock music comparatively sluggish.

Personnel and instruments

In its early phase, The Klezmorim featured between four and nine musicians utilizing a blend of band, orchestral, and Eastern European folk instruments such as the gadulka, laouto, tupan, contrabass balalaika, and tsimbalom. By 1979, the group had settled into a six-member formation comprising clarinet, saxophone, trumpet, trombone, tuba, and drums. Members frequently doubled on instruments like the xylophone, banjo, Marxophone, or baritone horn, with guest performers occasionally contributing piccolo, piano, or violin. This sextet arrangement resembled a classic New Orleans jazz ensemble and became the foundational lineup for the band.

Throughout roughly 1,200 live shows, The Klezmorim experienced significant changes in personnel; approximately thirty musicians held official membership at various intervals. Additionally, around two dozen guest artists participated in performances and recordings, including violinists Miamon Miller and Sandra Layman; Bob Cohen from Di Naye Kapelye; clarinetist Marcelo Moguilevsky; as well as Terry Zwigoff and Robert Crumb of the Cheap Suit Serenaders.

For over ten years, the band's signature sound was shaped by reed players Liberman and Gray, trombonist Kevin Linscott, along with tuba player Donald Thornton. Multi-instrumentalists David Skuse and Stuart Brotman emphasized authentic klezmer expression; notably, Brotman produced the Grammy-nominated record Metropolis. Early theatrical flair was introduced by Rick "Professor Gizmo" Elmore and trumpeter Brian "Hairy James" Wishnefsky. Drummer Tom Stamper and trumpeter Stephen Saxon brought a jazz background, while clarinetist Ben Goldberg and percussionist Kenny Wollesen infused avant-garde postmodern elements.

Following the departure of all original founders by 1988, Thornton maintained touring under The Klezmorim name until 1993 alongside prominent klezmer revivalists. In 2004 co-founder Liberman revived leadership for European shows featuring alumni Brotman, Thornton, Seavey, newcomer Mike van Liew, and guest Yankl Falk (from Hungarian-rooted klezmer group Di Naye Kapelye). Co-founder Skuse passed away in 2010 after participating in a final reunion jam with Liberman. Although currently on indefinite hiatus, unofficial recordings circulate and speculation about new releases continues.

Notable members of The Klezmorim (approximately chronological):

• Lev Liberman (alto/soprano/C-melody saxophones, taragot, flute, frula, tin whistle, Marxophone, percussion, vocals)
• David Skuse (violin, accordion, mandolin, gadulka, clarinet)
• David Julian Gray (clarinets, mandolin, violin, laouto, mandocello, banjo variants, piano, harmonicas, electric guitar)
• Gregory Carageorge (bass, contrabass balalaika)
• Laurie Chastain (violin, mandolin)
• Rick Elmore (trombone, tuba)
• Nada Lewis (tsambal mik [sic], accordion)
• Brian Wishnefsky (trumpet)
• Lew Hanson (C-melody saxophone, tenor saxophone)
• Stuart Brotman (bass, tuba, peckhorn, tsimbalom)
• Kevin Linscott (trombone)
• Suzy Rothfield (violin)
• Miriam Dvorin (violin)
• John Raskin (drums)
• Donald Thornton (tuba, piano)
• Tom Stamper (drums)
• Stephen Saxon (trumpet)
• Christopher Leaf (trumpet)
• Ken Bergmann (drums)
• Ben Goldberg (clarinet)
• Kenny Wollesen (drums)
• Sheldon Brown (clarinet)
• Andrew Marchetti (percussion)
• Charlie Seavey (trombone)
• Paul Hanson (clarinet, bassoon)
• Mara Fox (trombone)
• Al Bent (trombone)
• David Barrows (saxophones)
• Dennis Cooper (percussion)
• Mike van Liew (trumpet,piano, baritone horn)

This extensive roster supported The Klezmorim’s evolving musical identity and solidified their standing within the klezmer revival movement.

Discography

• East Side Wedding (Arhoolie LP 3006)

Produced between 1976 and 1977, with the official release in 1977.

• Streets of Gold (Arhoolie LP 3011)

Both recorded and issued in 1978.

• First Recordings 1976–78 (Arhoolie CD 309)

A compilation featuring selections from East Side Wedding and Streets of Gold, recorded during 1976–78 and released in 1989.

• Metropolis (Flying Fish LP FF 258; CD FF 70258)

Completed and made available in 1981.

• Notes From Underground (Flying Fish LP FF 322)

Recorded and launched in 1984; issued in Europe in 1986 under the title The Klezmorim (Le Chant du Monde LDX 74854).

• Jazz-Babies of the Ukraine (Flying Fish LP FF 465; CD FF 70465)

Production took place in 1986, with release following in 1987; European vinyl edition also appeared that same year (Le Chant du Monde LDX 74867).

• Variety Stomp (MW CD 4020)

Recorded in 1990, initially distributed as a limited cassette in the U.S.; later issued on CD in Europe in 1999.

External links

• The Klezmorim: official website
• AllMusic profile
• Website of David Julian Gray
• Stephen Saxon's official site
• Klez-X – Previously known as the San Francisco Klezmer Experience, including former members Sheldon Brown, Stephen Saxon, Charlie Seavey, and Stuart Brotman from 1996 through 2007.
• Brian Wishnefsky's personal site