ISLE OF KLEZBOS Celebrates 20th Anniversary at Joe's Pub

ISLE of KLEZBOS, the swinging all-women's klezmer sextet, will celebrate their 20th Anniversary with a special concert Isle of Klezbos: Isle of Manhattan! at Joe's Pub on Thursday, October 25 at 7:00 PM featuring returning guest artist Natalia Zukerman. The band and spellbinding singer-songwriter - whose father, the classical violinist Pinchas Zukerman, is the son of a Polish-born klezmer player - first melded musical minds earlier this year, exploring poignant Yiddish roots and hidden gems from vintage soundtracks, personal histories, vivid resistance narratives, and soulful sounds of liberation. Spreading joy coast to coast this anniversary year, ISLE of KLEZBOS latest repertoire also features original klezmer bugalu (boogaloo), lesser-known bawdy traditionals, and luscious retakes on irresistible Eastern European swing and tango. Natalia brings vibrant stories and tunes from her powerful multi-media performance, "The Women Who Rode Away," including lush arrangements with backing Klezbos bandmates. The studio project is scheduled for release later this year. Tickets are available at JoesPub.com HERE.

The ISLE of KLEZBOS ensemble performs a dazzling array of original and neo-traditional music. Capping a triumphant year in which the group has toured across the country with dates throughout California, Oregon, New York, New Jersey and Massachusetts, this New York City concert will also launch another series of shows on the West Coast throughout November and December, as well as the group's Florida debut in February 2019. Hailed as "cutting-edge Klezmer" by New York Magazine, their lushly-arranged music spans moods from rambunctious to ethereal, with inspired solos and vocal scatting in a multi-lingual setting: neo-traditional dance rollicks, mystical melodies, Second Avenue Yiddish swing, haunting retro tango, Soviet Jewish drinking song, re-grooved standards, and genre-defying originals.

Dubbed a "paradigm-shifting, brilliantly tuneful klezmer group" by New York Music Daily and a "super-group" by The Jewish Week, ISLE of KLEZBOS features the stellar talents of vocalist Melissa Fogarty, reedplayer Debra Kreisberg, trumpeter Pam Fleming, accordionist/pianist Shoko Nagai, double bassist Saskia Lane, and drummer/leader Eve Sicular. Fun-loving powerhouse ISLE of KLEZBOS klezmer sextet has toured from Vienna to Vancouver, approaching tradition with irreverence and deep respect. Sicular's musical documentary theater hit J. EDGAR KLEZMER: Songs from My Grandmother's FBI Files enjoyed a sold-out run at HERE Arts Center in 2015, and was praised by The New York Times as "smartly written" with a "lively score." ISLE of KLEZBOS has also performed with Eve Sicular's Celluloid Closet of Yiddish Film multi-media program at the Center for Jewish History, co-presented by the American Jewish Historical Society and YIVO Institute. Their latest CD, Live From Brooklyn, was featured on The Huffington Post, heard on WFMU Radio and "Recommended" by All About Jazz.

ISLE of KLEZBOS bandmates are alumnae of Juilliard, Eastman, Berklee and Manhattan Schools of Music, Harvard and more whose individual credits include stints with Beyoncé, Burning Spear and Seattle Baroque, as well as Natalie Merchant, Natalie Cole and New York City Opera. Bandleader Eve Sicular and several others from the sister sextet also perform with NYC-based Metropolitan Klezmer octet, and Klezbos broadcast credits range from "CBS Sunday Morning" to "The L Word." Other projects include studio recording with Grammy Award-nominated Scissor Sisters, commissioned concert for artist Kiki Smith at NYC's Museum at Eldridge Street, and dynamic house band for singer/songwriter Jill Sobule's original Music from Yentl at Lincoln Center and Joe's Pub. Since 1999, their annual KlezBiGay Pride sextet shows have featured guest MCs from Lisa Kron to Jackie Hoffman. Klezbos.com

NATALIA ZUKERMAN is a musician, painter and educator who grew up in New York City, studied art at Oberlin, and started her mural business "Off the Wall" in San Francisco. Having released seven independent albums on Weasel Records and her own label Talisman Records, Zukerman has toured internationally as a solo performer since 2005. Her music can be heard on the soundtrack of several seasons of "The L Word" and ABC Family's "Chasing Life." She also created the score for The Arch of Time, an independent film created for Yeshiva University and a Harvard online course called "Poetry in America." She has accompanied and opened for some of acoustic music's greats such as Janis Ian, Susan Werner, Erin McKeown, Shawn Colvin, Ani DiFranco, Richard Thompson, Tom Paxton, and many others. Zukerman continues to paint private and public murals as well as illustrate children's books, design and paint sets for plays in New York. In February, 2017, Natalia became a Cultural Diplomat for the US Department of State, playing concerts and conducting workshops throughout Africa. In May, she was the artist in residence at the cell theatre in New York City where she developed her multimedia one woman show, "The Women Who Rode Away,"and is currently recording the soundtrack of the show and touring it throughout North America. NataliaZukerman.com

ISLE of KLEZBOS: Isle of Manhattan! 20th Anniversary Sextet Concerts series is made possible in part with public funds from Creative Engagement / Creative Learning, supported by the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council and the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew Cuomo and administered by Lower Manhattan Cultural Council. LMCC.net

ISLE of KLEZBOS will perform at Joe's Pub at The Public Theater on Thursday, October 25 at 7:00 PM. Doors open at 6:00 PM. Tickets for the individual shows are $20 each. The venue is located in The Public Theater, 425 Lafayette Street (between East 4th and Astor Place) NYC. For tickets call (212) 967-7555 from 10:00 AM to 7:00 PM or visit joespub.com, or visit in person at The Public Theater Box Office at 425 Lafayette Street from 2:00 PM daily. There is a $12 food / two (2) drink minimum per person per show, unless otherwise noted.

Joe's Pub, named for Public Theater founder Joe Papp, opened in 1998 and plays a vital role in The Public's mission of supporting young artists while providing established artists with an intimate space to perform and develop new work. Joe's Pub presents the best in live music and performance nightly, continuing its commitment to diversity, production values, community and artistic freedom. The organization also offers opportunities like New York Voices, an artist commissioning program that provides musicians the resources and tools needed to develop original theater works; Joe's Pub Working Group, an artist development initiative; The Vanguard Award & Residency, a yearlong series that celebrates the career of a prolific and influential artist, who leads their own artistic community; and nationwide programming partnerships. Commissioned artists have included Mx Justin Vivian Bond, Bridget Everett, Daniel Alexander Jones, Ethan Lipton, Toshi Reagon, Allen Toussaint and more. The venue's food and beverage partner is the venerated Noho Hospitality Group, helmed by acclaimed chef Andrew Carmellini. With its intimate atmosphere and superior acoustics, Joe's Pub presents talent from all over the world as part of The Public's programming downtown at its Astor Place home, hosting approximately 800 shows and serving over 100,000 audience members annually.

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