Jeanette Lewicki and The gonifs kick off the Chanukah season with a rousing concert of Klezmer music on Saturday, December 9, 2017 at 8:00pm at Congregation Ner Shalom at the Cotati Cabaret, 85 La Plaza, Cotati. The concert is a fundraiser for Ner Shalom.
Formed in 1996 to play at anarchist peace rallies, the gonifs bring traditional Jewish folk music with a modern twist to concert halls all over the Bay Area and beyond. Singing accordionist Jeanette Lewicki joins Sheldon Brown (clarinet) and Richard Saunders (bass) to play rousing dance music & Yiddish songs (including some Yiddish tangos!) about love, justice, & potatoes.
Jeanette Lewicki (pronounced "Levitsky") found her first accordion in the commune where she grew up & immediately started playing & singing Yiddish songs. Since then she has performed with virtuoso violinist Daniel Hoffman in his band, the Klez X; recorded with Yiddish song elders from Bessarabia to the Bronx; coached Michael Tilson Thomas in Yiddish; and helped YIVO digitize their Ruth Rubin collection. Jeanette is a sought-after workshop leader and teacher as well as an electrifying singer. See madamlevitsky.com
Sheldon Brown has a long track record with Klezmer music. He toured Europe extensively with The Klezmorim from 1988 to 1993 and was one of the founding members of The San Francisco Klezmer Experience (Klez-X), a Bay Area Klezmer super-group led by violinist Daniel Hoffman. Klez-X recorded several albums and performed extensively in the Bay Area and abroad, including the San Francisco Symphony's millennial celebration at Davies Hall under the baton of Michael Tilson Thomas. Brown also leads his own groups, performing his original music. In 2014 Brown premiered his commissioned suite Blood of the Air at the 32nd annual San Francisco Jazz Festival. See SheldonBrownMusic.com
Richard Saunders has been playing bass for over 50 years. He has toured with Klez-X, Dan Hicks, Country Joe McDonald, and Freddie Hubbard. Recording credits include Country Joe and the Fish, Jessica Williams, and various movies and TV shows. He teaches at the Community Music Center in San Francisco.
Samples of the gonifs’ music can be heard here: http://www.portofrancorecords.com/albums-and-store/the-gonifs/