Start | Klezmer Music | Performers «O/P» | Peter Sokolov

Peter Sokolov                                                                 1940-2022

Pete Sokolow, a Brooklyn native, is a jazz and klezmer pianist and reed player whose klezmer roots in the Catskills span older and newer generations of Jewish musicians.

Sokolow has played with many major figures in klezmer history, including Dave Tarras, the Epstein Brothers, and Ray Musiker, and been an important figure in the revival of klezmer music. Sokolow has orchestrated numerous albums, musicals and films. His albums include Klezmer Plus, by the group Klezmer Plus, which he co-founded with Henry Sapoznik in 1982. He wrote the transcriptions and technical introductions to Henry Sapoznik's book, The Compleat Klezmer (1997). He is founding faculty member of KlezKamp and his latest recording is as a member of the Michael Winograd band dedicated to the music of Dave Tarras.

Peter "Klezmer Fats" Sokolow (1940-2022) liked the “real sound” - the Jewish sound. But how many musicians are left who appreciate klezmer music as an art form and not a nostalgic artifact? Sokolow tells his compelling life story, from growing up the son of a musician in New York, to performing for the Yiddish-speaking communities in the Catskills, to ultimately discovering and mastering klezmer under the mentorship of some of the genre's most renowned musicians. As he sits at his piano, Sokolow ponders whether cultural authenticity will persevere or become a vestige of the past

*Immanuel Kant

Created: 20230222

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