The Amsterdam Klezmer Band started out on the streets in 1996 as a group of buskers playing traditional Yiddish Music. 25 Years have gone by in no time! The band has evolved into an internationally celebrated band with a rock solid live reputation. During all this time the band managed to stay on the radar non-stop, touring all over the world. Their impressive tour list containing far over a 1500 shows by now. They built an audience of connaisseurs that have been loving them for many years, and there’s always a young crowd merging. Their music is inspiring fellow musicians from latin America to Russia resulting in colourful AKB-song covers you will find on Youtube.
19 albums were released and the band did successful projects with e.g. Söndörgő, Amsterdams Andalusisch orkest, Galata Gypsy band and Lilian Vieira.
AKB re-energises the sound of klezmer by throwing contemporary styles and techniques in the mix. Balkan and oriental Music are gratefully used as key influences. The band manages to keep their music fresh, urgent and often highly danceable wherever they take the stage.
On their most recent AKB album Fortuna, released in 2020, just after the first covid lockdown, producer Stefan Schmid opened up the seasoned Amsterdam Klezmer Band. Schmid: “In fact it’s all about Brotherhood. A good deal of Gotspe combined with typical Amsterdam boldness, that’s Amsterdam Klezmer Band. Fortuna is a unique album with subtle added disorderly elements.’’ So is it still Klezmer we’re dealing with? Damn right it is! The sound of Klezmer Music has developed and changed throughout time and we see no reason to put this fact on hold.
Line-up:
Jasper de Beer – Double bass, guitar banjo, backing vocals
Job Chajes – Alto saxophone, Vocals
Alec Kopyt – Vocals, percussion
Gijs Levelt – Trumpet
Joop van der Linden – Trombone, percussion
Janfie van Strien – Clarinet, backing vocals
Ellen van Vliet – Accordion
Support-act:
FOLKDIVIZJON
Folkdivizjon is a Malmö-based klezmer band that was founded in 2018. They have played around Sweden at, among others, Malmöfestivalen, Talang and at several other parties, weddings and galas. With influences from traditional Jewish and Balkan music, the band plays everything from soulful dance tunes to beautiful ballads.
On stage:
Love Bragé – soprano saxophone
Vidar Hansteen Jörgensen – tenor saxophone
Hjalmar Nordkvist – trombone
Lukas Hultman – accordion
Nicole Bouchikas – tuba
Alvin Samuelsson – percussion
Olof Larsson – percussion
Note! This is a standing concert, no picnic.