Yid Vicious Klezmer Ensemble has been a local favorite for many years now. They play Yiddish folk music, but add their own touch into the more traditional style. They are committed to keeping traditional klezmer music and dance alive, but blend the members backgrounds in classical, jazz, and world music to make something fresh and attract broader audiences.
They have put together an impressive resume since forming in 1995. The Madison Area Music Awards named them Best World Music Artist in 2004 and 2005. Then in 2006, they received Best World Music Album for their release of The Seventh Schlemiel. The group was the first performing arts ensemble in Wisconsin to receive a USArtists International grant and performed at Argentina’s international klezmer festival. They even toured Japan as part of the Wisconsin-Chiba Sister State Goodwill Delegation.
They also had the wonderful idea of taking an old public domain silent movie and making a new score for it. They chose the classic movie “The Golem” and you can see an excerpt of it here.
As you can see Yid vicious Klezmer Ensemble is a busy group. They made sure to make time to come hang out with us at the 20th Annual WORT 89.9FM Block Party! The group plays a drove of instruments including clarinets, saxophones, fiddle, horn, vocals, guitar, accordion, tuba, drums and and even the occasional Theremin. It is definitely music made for dancing and celebrating, so it makes a perfect addition to the block party!
