Kings of Klezmer Bio

From the Wild, Wild West of the Americas to the deepest forests of Eastern Europe come the Kings of Klezmer! This unique band is led by clarinetist/saxophonist Leo Chelyapov (view his home page here) – a Russian-born musician who immigrated to Los Angeles in 1992. The music of the Kings of Klezmer is an original blend of different styles: latin-jazz, rock, funk, world beat and, of course - klezmer. The Kings of Klezmer are based in Los Angeles and perform concerts, workshops and private events anywhere around the World.

Viewer Responses

Dear Leo,
Thank you so much for conducting the band for our wedding.  The music was wonderful and many people commented on how special it made our ceremony.  We feel honored that you shared our simcha in such a wonderful way.  We have never heard such beautiful music at a wedding!
 
B'shalom,
Arnie Rachlis and Ruti Braie

Dear Leo and Avi, and the rest of the band:Thank you so much for playing at our Siyyum celebration on Sunday. Your music and talent added to the "freilakh" and up lifting feelings that everyone walked away with.

We look forward to hearing you play again.
Sandra Braun
Beth Am Temple Tora Dedication ceremony

"using a colorful catalog of trills, note smears, glissandos, laughing sounds and gurgles, he transformed every solo into a high flying musical excursion - doing so, at one point, while walking through the capacity crowd in Kenny G's best reach-out-and-touch-your-listeners fashion." - (Los Angeles Times, Tuesday, May 7, 2002) "...an irrepressible force...a master of the subtle ornamentation of the klezmer style, he [Chelyapov] trimmed his lines with the musical sobs, sudden bits of clarinet laughter and quick grace notes that make the music such a free-ranging, passionate form of expression." -Don Heckman (Los Angeles Times, Dec. 28th, 2000)

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