The popularity of the Amsterdam Klezmer Band is no longer limited within the city limits of Mokum. A nice illustration of their success can be found on the cover drawn by the well-known French cartoonist (and AKB fan) Joann Sfar. Two styles can be distinguished within the klezmer: the traditionalists who want to stay closest to the music as it was played in the 'sjtetls', the Jewish villages in
… Eastern Europe before the war. The second category mixes the instrumentation and the 'nesjomme' (the Jewish soul) of klezmer with various non-Jewish music. The Amsterdam Klezmer Band clearly belongs to the second category. In their swirling potpourri there is room for ska, a bit of jazz, gypsy and Russian music as well as klezmer. Because of these different flavors it never gets boring on AKB albums. And they also have self-knowledge: 'Blow, that is our life! To give everything! ' they sing in Op Een Goppe. That's how it is. (PdK)more
