Program: Ezekiel's Wheels Klezmer Band
Chanukah Celebration
December 05, 2021
Crystal Ballroom at the Somerville Theatre
Musicians
Abigale Reisman — violin
Jonathan Cannon — violin
Kirsten Lamb — bass and vocals
Nat Seelen — clarinet
Pete Fanelli — trombone
About Ezekiel's Wheels Klezmer Band
Internationally acclaimed Ezekiel’s Wheels Klezmer Band brings passion, virtuosity, and contagious energy to every performance. The band improvises with the intimacy of chamber music and the intensity of a rowdy dance band. The group’s engaging contemporary interpretation of Jewish music is irresistible to audiences ranging from elementary school students to the judges at the International Jewish Music Festival, who heralded them as “a true musical democracy.”
The band’s unique style was forged in the subway stations and farmers markets of Boston, where the informal setting and ever-changing audience created an ideal environment for musical experimentation. The musicians honed their craft with bulgars and 90s pop covers for the morning rush hour and mixed doinas and zhoks with fresh produce on the weekends, building a community of fans and friends across the city. As their tightly coordinated but playful style matured, they moved on to larger and more discerning audiences, and in 2012 they won both the jury-awarded City Winery Prize for best klezmer ensemble and the Audience Pick Award at the third biennial International Jewish Music Festival in Amsterdam. This success opened a new chapter in the band’s ongoing saga that included high-profile performances at the Kennedy Center, the Shalin Liu Performance Center, and Yidstock.
As their popularity with concert audiences grows, they maintain their connection to their klezmer roots by playing numerous weddings and other simchas, and by teaching the history, musical structure, and instrumental techniques of klezmer to students of all ages.
Musician Biographies
Discography
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