Margot Leverett

Klezmer Clarinet & Alto Saxophone

Klezmer clarinetist Margot Leverett joins forces with today's stars of klezmer and bluegrass to explore the shared musical spirit of two genres literally worlds apart. Appalachian and southern fiddle tunes by Bill Monroe meet klezmer melodies from pre-war Russia and Eastern Europe, some newly discovered. The resulting medleys and improvisations are at once raw, funny, melancholic and footstomping.

Look for her new CD release on Traditional Crossroads in September 2003, Margot Leverett and the Klezmer Mountain Boys".

Margot Leverett
photo by Melanie Wellner

Margot Leverett (bandleader, clarinet and alto saxophone) is one of the foremost of the new generation of klezmer clarinetists. Classically trained at Indiana University School of Music, she was involved in avant-garde music when she first heard klezmer, the dynamic East European music traditionally played at Jewish weddings. Leverett was a founding member of the Klezmatics in 1985 and Mikveh in 1999. She started her own band "Margot Leverett and the Klezmer Mountain Boys" in 2001. Her solo CD, "The Art of Klezmer Clarinet," was released in 2001 on Traditional Crossroads (CD4296) to glowing reviews. She tours nationally and has performed and taught traditional and original klezmer music at festivals and workshops around the world.

Wall Street Journal Review of "Klezmerbluegrass"

Margot's solo recording, "The Art of Klezmer Clarinet" was released on Traditional Crossroads in January, 2000. Liner Notes

"This is classic sound of Eastern European-derived clarinet played by a master and a worthy addition to the new generation of klezmer recording Stacy Phillips, Rootsworld 2000 "..she lived up to the exceptional promise of her album, solidly establishing herself among the stellar soloists on the scene." Elijah Wald, Boston Globe, January 20, 2000

"We tend to dance when we experience this CD." Ari Davidow, The Klezmer shack, Internet January 1, 2000

"Margot Leverett, whose playing I have always enjoyed, showed that she is the equal of any clarinet player today." Ari Davidow, The Klezmer Shack, Internet August 2, 1998

"Her haunting riffs, echoing with tears and mocking laughter, evoked memories of the shtetls of Eastern Europe, where klezmer originated." Leonard W. Boasberg, The Philadelphia Inquirer, October 29, 1996

"I particularly enjoyed Margot Leverett's work on the clarinet. She was dynamite." Buddy Clarke, The Digest, March 9, 1995

"Margot Leverett plays a virtuoso clarinet." Douglas J. Keating, The Philadelphia Inquirer, May 12, 1994