Yiddishe Cup, formed in 1988, is one of the Top 10 klezmer bands in America.* .The group has played throughout the United States at festivals, colleges and numerous Jewish gatherings.

*Phil Fink, Shalom America Worldwide, an international radio broadcast.

Bert Stratton clarinet, alto sax, tenor sax, harmonica
Irwin Weinberger lead vocals, guitar, mandolin, flute, alto sax
Steve Ostrow trombone, trumpet, violin, tsimbl, classical guitar
Alan Douglass keyboards, backup vocals, string bass, theremin, cello
Don Friedman drums, percussion
Daniel Ducoff shtickmeister (klezmer dancer)

            Klezmer music is a hybrid of Eastern European Jewish folk music, American swing, Yiddish theater tunes and Israeli horas. The Evening Post of Wellington, New Zealand called it "a delicious concoction that sounds like jazz but with 11 secret herbs and spices added." Klezmer means "village musician" in Yiddish.
............Yiddishe Cup's first album, Klezmerized, is "a perfect introduction to klezmer," said the Cleveland Free Times. The New York Jewish Week rated the band's second release, Yiddfellas, one of the top 13 Jewish albums of 1999. Meshugeneh Mambo is a klezmer comedy album.  Ari Davidow, of the Klezmershack Web site, called the recording: "The most outrageous combination of '50s Borscht Belt shtick and post-modern Jewish deconstruction I've heard in years and, boy, did we need it."  The band's latest release is Klezmer Guy.
            Music editors at the Cleveland Free Times named Yiddishe Cup the best "ethnic/world" band in 2000.
            Yiddishe Cup's music is in the movie "Harley Son of David" (Avner Levona, director; Canada/ USA, 2006; UK Jewish Film Festival, 2006) and the Jewish Museum's exhibit "Chagall and the Artists of the Russian Jewish Theater, 1919-1949" (New York City, 2008-09).
            Yiddishe Cup is on the Sony Germany CD compilation Balkan Basics World Tour II (2009).

          Aren't all klezmer bands alike?
          Actually, no! Here's why Yiddishe Cup is different:

1. We're funny. ("Raucous, funny . . ." --New York Jewish Week. "A fun, versatile band." -- Dirty Linen)
2. We use a shtickmeister -- a klezmer dancer.  Audience members dance along with him. ("One of the most popular Chautauqua events, had us dancing." -- Chautauquan Daily)
3. We're spirited. ("Masterful musicianship . . . aural loop-de-loops." -- Kalamazoo Gazette.  "Spirited and affectionate." -- Cleveland Plain Dealer)
4. We mix it up.  ("They lit up the stage with their eccentric mix of Yiddish music, ranging from traditional to swing to conga." -- Wabash College Bachelor)
5. We're tops. ("One of the top klezmer bands in America." -- Charleston Gazette)

            Everybody likes klezmer -- from little kids to jazz critics. After a Rochester (NY) JCC show, a mother wrote: "It was the most fun I've ever had with my children. I loved watching them laugh and dance. My nine year old said, 'It was phenomenal!'"
            Jazz critic Harvey Pekar said, "Yiddishe Cup plays cleanly and enthusiastically. Clearly its members are enjoying themselves."*
            Yiddishe Cup's appearances have included the Brooklyn (NY) Center for the Performing Arts, the Chamizal National Memorial, El Paso, Tex.; Chautauqua (NY) Institution; Beloit (Wis.) College; Boca Raton (Fla.) JCC; and the Kent State (Ohio) Folk Festival. 

*Cleveland Free Times

Yiddishe Cup is a featured artist of the Heartland Arts Fund and the Ohio Arts Council.

For information on other klezmer bands, and klezmer music in general, try Ari Davidow's Klezmer Shack.