Jinny Marsh's Hot Kugel Klezmer Band

Jinny Marsh's Hot Kugel Klezmer Band performs Klezmer music, a traditional form of Eastern European Jewish dance music with roots that pre-date the Middle Ages. In the early 1900’s Eastern Europe's Jewish community brought their music to the United States. Since then Klezmer has been mixed with American jazz and popular music, and continues to evolve. Modern groups like Hot Kugel are constantly innovating and applying modern jazz sensibilities to ancient Jewish melodies.

Jinny Marsh's Hot Kugel Klezmer Band has appeared several times on the Kennedy Center's Millennium Stage and in folk festivals in across the United States including the National folk festival in East Lansing, Michigan, and Lowell, Massachusetts. Hot Kugel has appeared locally at the Smithsonian Folk Life Festival, the Library of Congress, Union Station and local community festivals such as the Jewish Arts Folk Festival, University of Maryland, Renaissance Folk Festival, Glen Echo and Takoma Park Folk Festivals. Marsh founded Hot Kugel Klezmer Band In 2000. Hot Kugel is a versatile band bringing a refreshingly unique and exciting sound to the klezmer tradition. In 2001Hot Kugel produced their first CD, Grandma’s Recipes-A Klezmer Celebration.Hot Kugel’s second cd is Klezmerika Eklectika. Nostalgic American and Klezmer Classics. Tunes on Klezmerika Eklectika include: Let Yourself Go, Sentimental, Star Dust, Body and Soul, Harlem Nocturne, It Don’t Mean A Thing If It Ain’t Got That Swing, and Just Squeeze Me. These cd’s are also available for purchase at www.cdbaby.com. Marsh can also be heard on another recently released cd, A Chanukah Feast, produced by clarinetist, Seth Kibel.

The career of vocalist Jinny Marsh includes off-off Broadway, summer stock, the New York Cabaret scene, commercials and entertaining aboard cruise ships. The Lowell Sun wrote, “Jinny Marsh is a lively, fun to watch singer;” the Boston Globe called her “a charismatic singer.” Before forming Hot Kugel she sang with Shir Delite Klezmer Band and the Sy Greene Quintet. Previously Marsh worked in Manhattan on off-off Broadway: The Washington Square Players Measure for Measure, Mistress Overdone; Charlie’s Aunt, Kitty Verdun; A Cry of Players, Anne; Summer and Smoke, Nellie; Lady Han, Hanako; Tango, Eleanor; Commedia Del’Arte Troupe, Frances Keena. All Souls Players: Camino Real, Rosita; Dorothy Fields Review It’s Not Where You Start, soloist; Ensemble Studio Theater, Starry Night, soloist; Cubiculo Theater: Patience, ensemble; Manhattan Nightclubs: Judy’s, Jan Wallman’s, Sabrina’s, Palsonn’s, The Good Times, O’Neal’s Balloon, Jason’s, Jason’s Park Royale. New Jersey regional theatre: A Doll’s House, Mrs. Linde; UCLA Summer Stock: Hair; No, No, Nanette; Roar of the Greasepaint; Sinbad the Sailor. Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines: entertainer. Commercials: Country Kitchens and ESPN Watch and Win Contest.

Trombonist Seymour Greene in the 30s and 40s was part of the big bands, recording with including Jack Teagarden's band and the Andrews Sisters. During World War II he traveled around the world with Irving Berlin performing in his‚"This is the Army" show. He has played at every Inaugural Ball since 1953. Mr. Greene has freelanced for 50 years in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area. How did Mr. Greene become interested in Klezmer music? When he was in high school his friend's father was a genuine Klezmer musician. When I went over to his house, he taught me how to improvise as a Klezmer trombone player. Since there are usually no written parts for the trombone. It's more like a Jewish Dixie land style where the trombone is playing the rhythm or tailgating and I love the music." After that he went into the big bands. Seymour and Jinny have worked together professionally in various groups for years and Seymour has been with Jinny's band from the very start.

Joe Kessler has been playing violin professionally in the Boston and Philadelphia areas for over 15 years. He has performed with a wide range of musicians in many different styles. He has played with Robert Plant and Jimmy Page of Led Zeppelin, Greg Brown, Aoife Clancy, and Morphine. He plays regularly with Sunday's Well in Boston and Klingon Klez and Atzilut of Philadelphia. He is one of the founding members of the Middle East Peace Orchestra who recently played a sold out show at the Royal Opera House of Copenhagen. His unique stage presence is both energetic and mesmerizing.

Michael Raitzyk is a guitarist living in Baltimore. He is the leader of a Klezmer band named Charm City Klezmer which has been together for nine years. They recorded a CD in 1998 entitled "Charm City Klezmer". Michael also performs in a jazz trio every week at the Cafe Hon. The trio recorded a CD in 2003 entitled "Blues for Jake." He is a wonderful guitar teacher who possesses a good sense of humor and patience. Please visit him at www.michaelraitzyk.com.

Pianist Andrew Zatman has played professionally throughout the United States. He has appeared at the Kennedy Center’s Millennium stage in Washington, D.C. and at folk festivals locally and nationally with several different bands including Klezmer. Mr. Zatman majored in music at UCLA. In addition to performing, he teaches piano and composes classical music, some of which has been performed at the Kennedy Center’s Concert Hall. Recently Andy published 4 books of intermediate piano pieces, called Portraits in Style, which he composed with his wife, Marilyn.

Percussionist Kenneth Krohn currently the Instrumental Music Director at Robert Frost Middle School in Maryland, taught at the college level for over twenty years at Montgomery College, Washington, D.C.'s Catholic University of America, Howard University, the Ruben Academy at Tel Aviv University. His performing career includes playing under Leonard Bernstein, Zubin Mehta, Daniel Barenboim, Paul Paray, Sir George Solti, George Szell and Leonard Slatkin to name a few. He is the recipient of awards for Excellence in Education, the Maryland Music Educators Association Outstanding Teacher Award and during his tenure with the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, numerous Grammy Awards.

Sy Zucker - Electric Bass- has a Bachelor's degree in music from Catholic University and a Master's degree in Music education from the University of Maryland. Sy has played professionally since the dawn of time: Broadway shows at the Kennedy Center, the National Theatre and at professional theaters in the Washington, DC area including the Carter Barron Amphitheatre. Sy's also been "on the road" performing with dance bands and playing in back-up bands for many "name" performers. He is an all around musician who has performed with Klezmer, jazz, popular, and classical ensembles. He also plays the flute, saxophone, and clarinet and the electric and upright bass and has taught music in the public schools for 30 years.

SETH KIBEL - Clarinetist - Seth began his klezmer career in 1993 with Cayuga Klezmer Revival, upstate New York’s premier klezmer band. Their CD, Klezmology, is still sold nationally. Seth is the leader, clarinetist, and composer for The Alexandria Kleztet, an “alternative” klezmer band he founded in the Baltimore/Washington area. The band’s two albums, Y2Klezmer (1999) and Delusions of Klezmer (2002) received the Washington Area Music Association’s (WAMA) award for Best World Music Recording following their release. In February 2004, The Alexandria Kleztet was named "Best World Music Duo or Group" by WAMA and Seth also received an individual award for "Best World Music Instrumentalist." In January 2004, he released his first jazz CD, a joint album with violinist Susan Jones entitled Nuts and Bolts. And in late 2004, he produced "A Chanukah Feast," a for-charity compilation CD featuring both regional and national artists including Jinny Marsh. Seth performs with such local bands as The Daryl Davis Band and Air Mail Special, Hot Kugel Klezmer Band and The Van Dangos. He has also performed with such notables as Sam Moore (Sam & Dave), Johnnie Johnson, The Coasters, and Percy Sledge. Seth can be heard on recent CD releases by guitarist Dave Kitchen, vocalist Esther Haynes, flamenco guitarist Gerard Moreno, and boogie-woogie pianist Daryl Davis. He teaches privately and is a member of the faculty at the Duke Ellington School of the Arts in Washington, D.C.

Additional Resources

Watch Past Performances

12/19/06: Jinny Marsh’s Hot Kugel Klezmer Band

With its versatile repertoire of klezmer, Israeli, Yiddish, Greek, jazz, Broadway, pop, classical, swing, light rock, and American standards, this klezmer band gets audiences dancing.

Jinny Marsh’s Hot Kugel Klezmer Band

With its versatile repertoire of klezmer, Israeli, Yiddish, Greek, jazz, Broadway, pop, classical, swing, light rock, and American standards, this klezmer band gets audiences dancing.

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12/13/05: Hot Kugel

Blending traditional klezmer with old-time jazz, ethnic folk, blues, rock, and reggae, this ensemble creates a sound that is an integration of Yiddish, Israeli, Ladino, and other inspirational musical styles.

Hot Kugel

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12/5/04: Jinny Marsh’s Hot Kugel Klezmer Band

Jinny Marsh’s Hot Kugel Klezmer Band heats things up with their unique sound, dubbed “Amphetamine Jazz,” performing Israeli, Yiddish, Greek, jazz, swing, and more.

Jinny Marsh’s Hot Kugel Klezmer Band

Jinny Marsh’s Hot Kugel Klezmer Band heats things up with their unique sound, dubbed “Amphetamine Jazz,” performing Israeli, Yiddish, Greek, jazz, swing, and more.

Comment, rate, and more...