Klezmer: a group of musicians who traveled from village to village in eastern Europe, playing traditional Jewish music, folk songs, folk dances and hymns before prayers. Klezmer music grew out of improvisation, ingenious harmonization and solo innovation.
Klezmonauts: Five Jewish musicans from Eugene, Oregon with diverse backgrounds in jazz, bluegrass, rock and roll, and international music, coming together to share the music of their ancestors.
Since their inception in 1996, the Klezmonauts
have played countless weddings, bar mitzvahs, and festivals throughout the Northwest. Their CD recording, entitled "The Klezmonauts" is available at CDBaby.com and at Tsunami Books, 2585 Willamette St in Eugene.
“The Klezmonauts are so much fun!
A dynamic musical blend of the traditional and the cutting edge makes the Klezmonauts performance a guaranteed crowd pleaser. Their music is always upbeat, and gets the audience dancing in no time. The Klezmonauts are always a pleasure to work with and to watch. I highly recommend them to anyone looking for a great high-energy band that's a little out of the ordinary.”
Kim Still
Manager, Eugene Saturday Market
For more information or booking, contact Jeremy Wegner at klezmonauts@yahoo.com, (541)687-8336
Jeremy Wegner
mandolin, guitar
Jeremy has been called a "string wizard". When not performing with the Klemonauts, he can be found playing sitar and sarod with his Indian group Bindaas or playing mandolin with folk-rock favorites the Sugar Beets.
Ken Sokolov
drums, percussion
A living encyclopedia of world music rhythms, Ken has years of experience playing African, Balkan, Brazilian, Celtic, East Indian, and Jamaican music, a well as rock 'n roll and jazz. He has played with many Eugene ensembles, including Chibuku and Kef.
Mike Rubinstein
acoustic and electric bass
Mike is a global traveler and a respected figure in the jazz world. He is well known as a bassist and composer for combos such as the Deb Cleveland Band and Bird's Eye View.
David Rhodes
saxophones, flute
David cut his teeth playing jazz and funk in Chicago and Berkeley. Since moving to Eugene he has been in demand as a studio musician, and has worked with Zimbabwean maestro Thomas Mapfumo and with Cuban dance band Son Melao. He is also a co-founder of Tsunami Books.
Chip Cohen
fiddle, guitar
A veteran old-time fiddler and classical guitarist, Chip has worked with numerous groups, including the Conjugal Visitors, the Crawdads, Michelle Shocked, and the Holy Modal Rounders. And he has been known to fiddle on the roof.
