The Klezmatics in Phoenix

The Klezmatics are an American klezmer band formed in New York City in 1986. Their music is rooted in Yiddish song and Eastern European Jewish traditions, while albums including Rhythm + Jews and Wonder Wheel also draw on jazz, folk and contemporary songwriting. Wonder Wheel, which sets previously unrecorded Woody Guthrie lyrics to music, won the Grammy Award for Best Contemporary World Music Album. The Klezmatics took part in Itzhak Perlman’s In the Fiddler’s House project in the 1990s and performed in its concert presentation. The band later carried its own repertoire into concert halls and international festivals, including Carnegie Hall in New York and WOMAD.