CELEBRATE WITH US THE KLEZMATICS 40TH ANNIVERSARY

The Klezmatics at 40: A Mini-Documentary on Four Decades of Music and the Celebration Ahead

The Klezmatics Turn 40! Let the Celebration Begin!

Next year marks a milestone we could hardly have imagined back in 1986—The Klezmatics’ 40th anniversary! Four decades of redefining klezmer, pushing its boundaries, and bringing Yiddish music to audiences worldwide.

But this isn't just our celebration—it’s ours together. This anniversary belongs to everyone who has been part of the klezmer revitalization: our devoted fans, venues, festivals, fellow musicians, and record labels who have supported us over the last four decades.

We kicked off 2025 in grand style with an amazingly joyful concert at New York’s Sony Hall, joined by the dynamic Afro-Colombian women’s band La Manga. On the previous evening we sat down for an insightful video interview with Borscht Beat’s Aaron Bendich. Together with live footage from the show, this chat has been transformed into a mini-documentary exploring our history and our exciting plans for the year ahead. We can’t wait for you to watch it!

This is just the beginning of our 40th-anniversary journey, and we want you to be part of it! Stay connected:
Follow us on social media! Find us on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and even TikTok! Be a part of the celebration and receive behind-the-scenes footage, tour updates, and exclusive anniversary content.
Visit our website at klezmatics.com – explore our newly redesigned space featuring stunning visuals, including hand-stitched embroidery by Ukrainian designer Ann Nikolaenko.
Support our next album! We're thrilled to be returning to the studio, and we’ll be launching a fundraising campaign soon. Sign up for our newsletter to get the latest updates and be the first to know how you can help bring this album to life!

Want to be part of the celebration? If you’d like to: Create a tribute, Write an article, Play a song on the radio, Help with archival work, Organize a show, Invite us to your festival, Support our new album - we’d love to hear from you! Reach out to our manager Ilya Sokolov ilya@rootsandchordsmusic.com and let’s make this anniversary unforgettable—together.

The Klezmatics: Transforming Klezmer, Redefining Boundaries

The Klezmatics are Grammy-winning klezmer superstars who revolutionized Yiddish music. Emerging from New York City’s East Village in 1986, they infused Eastern European Jewish roots with bold contemporary themes like human rights and anti-fundamentalism. Their eclectic sound blends Latin stomps, jazz riffs, and rhythms from the Balkans, Middle East, Africa, and America.
For nearly 40 years, The Klezmatics have reimagined klezmer, inspiring generations of musicians. Their achievements include 13 acclaimed recordings, tours across five continents, and collaborations with artists like Itzhak Perlman, Tony Kushner, Chava Alberstein, and Arlo Guthrie. They are the only klezmer band to win a Grammy, earning the 2006 award for Wonder Wheel: Lyrics by Woody Guthrie.

Their music has enriched theater, dance, film, and television, appearing in A Dybbuk, Pilobolus Dance Theatre’s Davenen, and PBS’s Great Performances. They’ve reached millions through shows like Late Night with David Letterman, NPR’s A Prairie Home Companion, and HBO’s Sex and the City.
The Klezmatics have performed in 20+ countries at venues and festivals like Carnegie Hall, WOMAD, Colours of Ostrava, and Yiddish Summer Weimar. Honors include the German Critics Award, New York Jewish Music Award, a GLAMA, and multiple Billboard World Music chart-toppers.
Through their vibrant, danceable music, The Klezmatics transcend labels, redefining Jewish culture and leaving a lasting mark on global music.

MEMBERS

Richie Barshay

percussion
A dynamic percussionist known for his work with the Herbie Hancock Quartet, has been hailed as "a major rhythm voice on the rise" and continues to perform, record, and lead outreach projects worldwide.
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Matt Darriau

kaval, clarinet, saxophone
Matt Darriau, a multi-instrumentalist and "musical polyglot," has infused the Klezmatics' sound with jazz, Balkan, and Celtic influences since 1995, while also leading his own genre-blending projects and earning recognition as a key innovator in modern jazz.
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Lisa Gutkin

violin, vocals
Lisa Gutkin, a versatile violinist and composer, brought her diverse musical background—ranging from classical and Irish folk to bluegrass and rock—to the Klezmatics, where she became a key creative force, even earning Pete Seeger's praise for her songwriting.
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Frank London

trumpet, keyboards
Trumpeter and composer Frank London, co-founder of the Klezmatics, has been a driving force in contemporary Jewish music, contributing to hundreds of recordings and projects that blend klezmer, jazz, and world music with bold innovation.
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Paul Morrissett

bass, tsimbl
A longtime Klezmatics member and versatile multi-instrumentalist, blends his love for Eastern European and Scandinavian folk traditions with his passion for dance music, bringing a deep rhythmic energy to the band's sound.
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Lorin Sklamberg

lead vocals, accordion, guitar, piano
Co-founder and lead singer of the Klezmatics, is renowned for his transcendent and emotionally powerful voice, which has shaped contemporary klezmer music while also influencing Jewish spiritual and folk traditions worldwide.
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The Klezmatics at 40: A Mini-Documentary on Four Decades of Music and the Celebration Ahead

WATCH THE VIDEO
AN EVENING WITH THE KLEZMATICS

Sunday, May 4, 2025
City Winery Philadelphia
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AN EVENING WITH THE KLEZMATICS

Wednesday, May 28, 2025
City Winery Chicago
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tickets
AN EVENING WITH THE KLEZMATICS

Tuesday, July 8, 2025
City Winery New York City
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tickets
Yidstock 2025: the Festival of New Yiddish Music

Thursday, July 10, 2025
Yiddish Book Center in Amherst, MA

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"The Man in a Hat"

Live in Sony Hall, NYC 2025

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FRANK LONDON OF THE KLEZMATICS - ARTIST OF THE YEAR

AWARDS
GlobalFEST celebrates Frank London as the Artist of the Year

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ARTICLE ABOUT FRANK LONDON & THE KLEZMATICS

PRESS
Jewish Telegraphic Agency recent article

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JEWS WITH HORNS

PRESS
Tablet article about The Klezmatics approach 40th anniversary

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Woody Guthrie’s Happier Joyous Hanukkah

Release New Holiday EP

Discover album
THE KLEZMATICS HANUKKAH TOUR

USA TOUR
he Klezmatics hit the road for their traditional Hanukkah tour

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UPCOMING EVENTS

The Klezmatics are globally-renowned world music superstars — and the only klezmer band to win a Grammy award. The Klezmatics emerged out of the vibrant cultural scene of New York City’s East Village in 1986 with klezmer steeped in Eastern European Jewish tradition and spirituality, while incorporating contemporary themes such as human rights and anti-fundamentalism and eclectic musical influences including Arab, African, Latin and Balkan rhythms, jazz and punk. In the course of nearly forty years and thirteen albums, they have stubbornly continued making music that is wild, mystical, provocative, reflective and ecstatically danceable.

2025