The Klezmatics Happy Joyous Hanukkah

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2022 Concert Series sponsored by

The Klezmatics aren’t just the best band in the klezmer vanguard; on a good night, they rank among the best bands on the planet.

—Time Out New York

The Klezmatics transcend genres, blending klezmer with aching shtetl melodies, raucous Latin stomps, wild jazz riffs, and provocative Arabic, African, American, and Balkan rhythms. The Klezmatics will be presenting a contagious celebration of Hanukkah, marrying their soulful and ebullient Jewish roots to Woody Guthrie’s poignantly mesmerizing lyrics.

In 1942, Guthrie moved to Brooklyn, New York. Through his mother-in-law, the renowned Yiddish poet Aliza Greenblatt, he became involved with the Coney Island Jewish community, and he wrote songs about Hanukkah, Jewish history, and spiritual life. After Guthrie died in 1967, these songs sat forgotten in archives. Lost for almost 30 years, Guthrie’s Hanukkah lyrics were discovered in 1998 by his daughter, Nora Guthrie. She was so inspired by what she found that she asked the Klezmatics to write new music for the lyrics.

This delightful collection of songs, including “Hanuka’s Flame,” “Hanuka Gelt,” “Spin Dreydl Spin,” “(Do the) Latke Flip-Flip,” and others, is among the best of Guthrie’s work, and the Klezmatics’ playful renditions cast a new light on the Hanukkah tradition.