Sheldon Brown, woodwinds has been a vital force on the San Francisco Bay Area creative music scene for over 25 years. He formed Sheldon Brown Group in 1993 to perform his original compositions and in 1996 released the album Shifting Currents. Sheldon Brown Group has performed at Yoshiʼs Nitespot in Oakland, the Jazz in The City series, sponsored by the San Francisco Jazz Festival, The Jazzschool in Berkeley and Brunoʼs nightclub in San Francisco. Having survived several tours with the Klezmorim in the 1980s, he has since appeared with many of the top names in the jazz and world music scenes. He toured extensively with Cuban pianist Omar Sosa, and appears on Mr. Sosaʼs albums, Free Roots, Spirit of the Roots, Bembon and Prietos. Brown is a member of the group Hemispheres, which features Paul McCandless (Oregon and Paul Winter Ensemble), Ian Dogle, Frank Martin and Bill Douglas. Sheldon performs with and composes for Clarinet Thing, a clarinet quartet led by Beth Custer, which also features clarinetists Ben Goldberg and Harvey Wainappel. He is a member of Darren Johnston Quintet, the Club Foot Orchestra, for whom he has composed scores for Film romanʼs cartoon series The Twisted tales of Felix the Cat (which aired on CBS) and silent films such as Fritz Langʼs Metropolis, Buster Keatonʼs Sherlock Jr. and Cops, G.W. Pabstʼs Pandoraʼs Box and Rober Wieneʼs Hands of Orlac. Alan Hall, drums has performed and/or recorded with Eddie Harris, Paul McCandless, Art Lande, Ratzo Harris, Stuart Hamm, Kai Eckhardt, Billy Childs, Kenny Werner, Bob Sheppard, Kit Walker, Tom Coster, Rebecca Parris, Kenny Washington, Betty Buckley, John Handy, Joyce Cooling, Victor Mendoza, Cirque du Soleil and many others. He has performed at: WAMU Theatre @ Madison Square Garden w/ Cirque du Soleil, The Monterey Jazz Festival with Billy Childs and Bob Sheppard; Vancouver International Jazz Festival with Mike Zilber; Barbados International Jazz Festival with Wild Mango; JVC Jazz Festival with Rebecca Parris; BumberShoot Festival with Kai Eckhardt and Kit Walker; and Yoshi’s San Francisco with Kenny Werner and Betty Buckley. He taught at Berklee College of Music from 1986 to 1993 and has adjudicated and given classes, clinics and workshops at festivals, colleges and music stores throughout North America including: Berklee's Summer Camp in Los Angeles, CA; Jazzcamp WEST in La Honda, CA; Lafayette Summer Music Jazz Camp in Lafayette, CA; and Stanford Summer Jazz in Palo Alto, CA. Alan is currently playing tubs for "Teatro Zinzanni" in San Francisco where he has worked with performers Joan Baez, Veronin, Christine Deaver and El Vez; and directors Ricardo Salinas and Eddie Cantor. Daniel Hoffman, violin and musical direction A descendant of a long line of Bessarabian furriers, Daniel was born and raised near Los Angeles. After graduating from the Manhattan School of Music in New York, he quickly began un-learning most of what he'd been taught and turned his attentions to Eastern European Jewish music and formed several klezmer bands in San Francisco. In 1992, he co-founded Davka, combining Ashkenazi music with jazz and Middle-Eastern rhythms. Davka has released five CDs of original music, including four on the Tzadik label. He also founded the Klez-X in 1996 and has developed a reputation as one of the foremost experts of the Yiddish violin style, recording and performing with the top players in the field. Daniel has received numerous composition grants, including from Meet The Composer and the NEA and has written new scores for the 1920s silent films “The Golem” and “Jewish Luck”. He composed music for “David in Shadow and Light,” a new musical (with librettist Yehuda Hyman) based on the King David story which premiered at Theatre J in Washington DC in 2008. In Israel he performs with countless groups performing music ranging from Turkish to Balkan, Middle-Eastern to jazz, as well as with the National Theater Habima. He recently began producing the pilot episode of Violin Around the World, a 30-part documentary film series which explores the role of the violin in diverse cultures worldwide. Jeanette Lewicki, vocals and accordion Orphaned at an early age, without a dowry or family background, Jeanette Lewicki did whatever she had to do to learn to sing Yiddish & play accordion. Her first steady gig was at a vegan commune in San Francisco, where she played weekly in the soup kitchen band. Having apprenticed briefly with performance artist Jack Smith, she studied at Columbia University (through a YIVO scholarship) and in Oxford, England (with the New Jewish Music ensemble Brave Old World). Madam Lewicki now performs with various klezmer groups and has led numerous Yiddish song workshops in New York, in San Francisco, and at Yiddish Summer Weimar, directed by the innovative music educator Dr. Alan Bern. Jeanette Lewicki's many recordings include "Mayn Shtetele Soroke" (which she produced for 77-year-old Bessarabian singer Arkady Gendler), "Fli Mayn Flishlang" (for which she arranged childrens' songs by Beyle Schaechter-Gottesman), "Harbst" (with the Klez-X), & "the gonifs break out," a new release on Porto Franco Records. Ms. Lewicki is the editrix of the zine "Yiddish Tango Illustrated" and a founding member of Accordionists Against the Death Penalty. She strives to combine folk tradition with Yiddish modernist style, & to make announcers and paramours pronounce her last name right: "Levitsky.” Stephen Saxon, trumpets, alto horn, and vocals Aside from Klez-X, Stephen Saxon has performed and recorded as a trumpet player and / or singer with The Klezmorim, the Klezmer Conservatory Band, Chanticleer, Kitka, The San Francisco Symphony (soloist), the Spokane Symphony (soloist), and many other excellent ensembles. He has served as Cantor for congregations in California, Texas, and Washington. Stephen is an award-winning arranger and composer, and he has composed and produced Gospel Shabbat, a new setting of the Friday evening service, accompanied by a Gospel band and choir. He teaches improvisation at the Jazzschool in Berkeley. Charley Seavey, trombone is a blazing slide master who combines shimmering technique with an abundance of soul. He spins solos, rhythm and counterpoint that delight with surprise and depth. He has performed worldwide with some of the most commanding players in jazz, salsa and klezmer. In the klezmer genre, Charley has established himself as one of the world’s premiere klezmer trombonists through 25 years of performances with The Klezmorim, the Klez-X and Margot Leverett, among others. Charley has lived in Chicago and New York as well as San Francisco, where he currently resides. Richard Saunders, bass Richard Saunders was born in New York City in 1945. He grew up in Great Neck, on Long Island's north shore. Suspended from high school for a year, he applied to U.C. Berkeley because it was 3000 miles away and had a reputation as pinko. Arriving in Berkeley September, 1964 Richard got there in time to participate in the events of the sixties, build a washtub bass, and commence a musical career as a bassist. Oh yes, he received a BA in history in 1969. Richard studied music composition, harmony and counterpoint with Bill Matthieu from 1968 to 1970 when he bought his first upright bass ($275 with bow and bag). He has played and recorded with Country Joe and the Fish, Freddie Hubbard, Joe Henderson, Jessica Williams, Cat Anderson, the San Francisco Mime Troupe, various TV shows and ads, and movie scores. He is proud of his work with Klez-X (formerly San Francisco Klezmer Experience). He currently is on the faculty of the San Francisco Community Music Center. Kevin Mummey, drums and percussion (Emeritus) is known as one of the Bay Area's most versatile percussionists. Kevin learned drums from his father in Chicago, and is equally at home in jazz, Middle-Eastern, klezmer, rock, country, experimental, and numerous other styles. Kevin has toured and recorded with Davka, Laurie Lewis, Penelope Houston, Los Pinkies and the Blue Room boys, and the Klez-X.

Sheldon Brown, woodwinds

has been a vital force on the San Francisco Bay Area creative music scene for over 25 years. He formed Sheldon Brown Group in 1993 to perform his original compositions and in 1996 released the album Shifting Currents. Sheldon Brown Group has performed at Yoshiʼs Nitespot in Oakland, the Jazz in The City series, sponsored by the San Francisco Jazz Festival, The Jazzschool in Berkeley and Brunoʼs nightclub in San Francisco.

Having survived several tours with the Klezmorim in the 1980s, he has since appeared with many of the top names in the jazz and world music scenes. He toured extensively with Cuban pianist Omar Sosa, and appears on Mr. Sosaʼs albums, Free Roots, Spirit of the Roots, Bembon and Prietos. Brown is a member of the group Hemispheres, which features Paul McCandless (Oregon and Paul Winter Ensemble), Ian Dogle, Frank Martin and Bill Douglas.

Sheldon performs with and composes for Clarinet Thing, a clarinet quartet led by Beth Custer, which also features clarinetists Ben Goldberg and Harvey Wainappel. He is a member of Darren Johnston Quintet, the Club Foot Orchestra, for whom he has composed scores for Film romanʼs cartoon series The Twisted tales of Felix the Cat (which aired on CBS) and silent films such as Fritz Langʼs Metropolis, Buster Keatonʼs Sherlock Jr. and Cops, G.W. Pabstʼs Pandoraʼs Box and Rober Wieneʼs Hands of Orlac.

Alan Hall, drums

has performed and/or recorded with Eddie Harris, Paul McCandless, Art Lande, Ratzo Harris, Stuart Hamm, Kai Eckhardt, Billy Childs, Kenny Werner, Bob Sheppard, Kit Walker, Tom Coster, Rebecca Parris, Kenny Washington, Betty Buckley, John Handy, Joyce Cooling, Victor Mendoza, Cirque du Soleil and many others. He has performed at: WAMU Theatre @ Madison Square Garden w/ Cirque du Soleil, The Monterey Jazz Festival with Billy Childs and Bob Sheppard; Vancouver International Jazz Festival with Mike Zilber; Barbados International Jazz Festival with Wild Mango; JVC Jazz Festival with Rebecca Parris; BumberShoot Festival with Kai Eckhardt and Kit Walker; and Yoshi’s San Francisco with Kenny Werner and Betty Buckley.

He taught at Berklee College of Music from 1986 to 1993 and has adjudicated and given classes, clinics and workshops at festivals, colleges and music stores throughout North America including: Berklee's Summer Camp in Los Angeles, CA; Jazzcamp WEST in La Honda, CA; Lafayette Summer Music Jazz Camp in Lafayette, CA; and Stanford Summer Jazz in Palo Alto, CA. Alan is currently playing tubs for "Teatro Zinzanni" in San Francisco where he has worked with performers Joan Baez, Veronin, Christine Deaver and El Vez; and directors Ricardo Salinas and Eddie Cantor.

Daniel Hoffman, violin and musical direction

A descendant of a long line of Bessarabian furriers, Daniel was born and raised near Los Angeles. After graduating from the Manhattan School of Music in New York, he quickly began un-learning most of what he'd been taught and turned his attentions to Eastern European Jewish music and formed several klezmer bands in San Francisco. In 1992, he co-founded Davka, combining Ashkenazi music with jazz and Middle-Eastern rhythms. Davka has released five CDs of original music, including four on the Tzadik label. He also founded the Klez-X in 1996 and has developed a reputation as one of the foremost experts of the Yiddish violin style, recording and performing with the top players in the field.

Daniel has received numerous composition grants, including from Meet The Composer and the NEA and has written new scores for the 1920s silent films “The Golem” and “Jewish Luck”. He composed music for “David in Shadow and Light,” a new musical (with librettist Yehuda Hyman) based on the King David story which premiered at Theatre J in Washington DC in 2008. In Israel he performs with countless groups performing music ranging from Turkish to Balkan, Middle-Eastern to jazz, as well as with the National Theater Habima. He recently began producing the pilot episode of Violin Around the World, a 30-part documentary film series which explores the role of the violin in diverse cultures worldwide.

Jeanette Lewicki, vocals and accordion

Orphaned at an early age, without a dowry or family background, Jeanette Lewicki did whatever she had to do to learn to sing Yiddish & play accordion. Her first steady gig was at a vegan commune in San Francisco, where she played weekly in the soup kitchen band. Having apprenticed briefly with performance artist Jack Smith, she studied at Columbia University (through a YIVO scholarship) and in Oxford, England (with the New Jewish Music ensemble Brave Old World). Madam Lewicki now performs with various klezmer groups and has led numerous Yiddish song workshops in New York, in San Francisco, and at Yiddish Summer Weimar, directed by the innovative music educator Dr. Alan Bern.

Jeanette Lewicki's many recordings include "Mayn Shtetele Soroke" (which she produced for 77-year-old Bessarabian singer Arkady Gendler), "Fli Mayn Flishlang" (for which she arranged childrens' songs by Beyle Schaechter-Gottesman), "Harbst" (with the Klez-X), & "the gonifs break out," a new release on Porto Franco Records. Ms. Lewicki is the editrix of the zine "Yiddish Tango Illustrated" and a founding member of Accordionists Against the Death Penalty. She strives to combine folk tradition with Yiddish modernist style, & to make announcers and paramours pronounce her last name right: "Levitsky.”

Stephen Saxon, trumpets, alto horn, and vocals

Aside from Klez-X, Stephen Saxon has performed and recorded as a trumpet player and / or singer with The Klezmorim, the Klezmer Conservatory Band, Chanticleer, Kitka, The San Francisco Symphony (soloist), the Spokane Symphony (soloist), and many other excellent ensembles. He has served as Cantor for congregations in California, Texas, and Washington.

Stephen is an award-winning arranger and composer, and he has composed and produced Gospel Shabbat, a new setting of the Friday evening service, accompanied by a Gospel band and choir. He teaches improvisation at the Jazzschool in Berkeley.

Charley Seavey, trombone

is a blazing slide master who combines shimmering technique with an abundance of soul. He spins solos, rhythm and counterpoint that delight with surprise and depth. He has performed worldwide with some of the most commanding players in jazz, salsa and klezmer.

In the klezmer genre, Charley has established himself as one of the world’s premiere klezmer trombonists through 25 years of performances with The Klezmorim, the Klez-X and Margot Leverett, among others. Charley has lived in Chicago and New York as well as San Francisco, where he currently resides.

Richard Saunders, bass

Richard Saunders was born in New York City in 1945. He grew up in Great Neck, on Long Island's north shore. Suspended from high school for a year, he applied to U.C. Berkeley because it was 3000 miles away and had a reputation as pinko. Arriving in Berkeley September, 1964 Richard got there in time to participate in the events of the sixties, build a washtub bass, and commence a musical career as a bassist. Oh yes, he received a BA in history in 1969.

Richard studied music composition, harmony and counterpoint with Bill Matthieu from 1968 to 1970 when he bought his first upright bass ($275 with bow and bag). He has played and recorded with Country Joe and the Fish, Freddie Hubbard, Joe Henderson, Jessica Williams, Cat Anderson, the San Francisco Mime Troupe, various TV shows and ads, and movie scores. He is proud of his work with Klez-X (formerly San Francisco Klezmer Experience). He currently is on the faculty of the San Francisco Community Music Center.

Kevin Mummey, drums and percussion (Emeritus)

is known as one of the Bay Area's most versatile percussionists. Kevin learned drums from his father in Chicago, and is equally at home in jazz, Middle-Eastern, klezmer, rock, country, experimental, and numerous other styles. Kevin has toured and recorded with Davka, Laurie Lewis, Penelope Houston, Los Pinkies and the Blue Room boys, and the Klez-X.