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The Klezmatics Release New Holiday EP: Woody Guthrie’s Happier Joyous Hanukkah
Grammy Award-winning klezmer and world music pioneers The Klezmatics are thrilled to announce the release of their special holiday EP, Woody Guthrie’s Happier Joyous Hanukkah. This festive collection features an original recording by Woody himself, unreleased live recordings by the band, and tributes inspired by their acclaimed 2004 album, Woody Guthrie’s Happy Joyous Hanukkah.
A Journey Through Time and Music
In the 1940s, the legendary American singer-songwriter Woody Guthrie moved to Brooklyn with his family, where he became immersed in the Jewish community of Coney Island and found an unlikely source of inspiration in his mother-in-law, the well-known Yiddish poet and social activist Aliza Greenblatt. This influence led Guthrie to write songs about Hanukkah, Jewish history and spirituality.
Decades after his 1967 death, these songs, most of which survived solely as lyrics, lay packed away in boxes until their rediscovery by Guthrie’s daughter, Nora. A chance encounter with The Klezmatics at the Tanglewood music festival inspired her to entrust the band with the task of bringing these treasures to life by writing music for her father’s words. The result was Woody Guthrie’s Happy Joyous Hanukkah (2004), followed by their Grammy-winning album Wonder Wheel (2006).
Grammy Award-winning klezmer and world music pioneers The Klezmatics are thrilled to announce the release of their special holiday EP, Woody Guthrie’s Happier Joyous Hanukkah. This festive collection features an original recording by Woody himself, unreleased live recordings by the band, and tributes inspired by their acclaimed 2004 album, Woody Guthrie’s Happy Joyous Hanukkah.
A Journey Through Time and Music
In the 1940s, the legendary American singer-songwriter Woody Guthrie moved to Brooklyn with his family, where he became immersed in the Jewish community of Coney Island and found an unlikely source of inspiration in his mother-in-law, the well-known Yiddish poet and social activist Aliza Greenblatt. This influence led Guthrie to write songs about Hanukkah, Jewish history and spirituality.
Decades after his 1967 death, these songs, most of which survived solely as lyrics, lay packed away in boxes until their rediscovery by Guthrie’s daughter, Nora. A chance encounter with The Klezmatics at the Tanglewood music festival inspired her to entrust the band with the task of bringing these treasures to life by writing music for her father’s words. The result was Woody Guthrie’s Happy Joyous Hanukkah (2004), followed by their Grammy-winning album Wonder Wheel (2006).
