The Klezmorim

I passed their audition and did a six month tour of Europe in the mid-90s with The Klezmorim, which at that time was led by the tuba player Donald Thornton. We played gigs mostly in Germany, but also Belgium, Holland and France. It was a real eye-opener for me as I had not been to Europe previously, let alone tour and play music there. It was an awesome experience. We played everything from small clubs to big festivals, including the North Sea Jazz Festival, and I was very impressed with the quality of the venues in general and the sound engineers working there. We also did some gigs in the eastern part of Germany including Dresden. As an ethnically Jewish person (on my Mom's side), playing Jewish music in Germany, I found the whole experience quite profound. The European audiences in general seemed very open, receptive and musically educated. I also got to play with some great musicians in that band including Sheldon Brown on clarinet. There is a reference to me on a Klezmorim alumni page here.