Amerike Klezmer

Jewish musicians arriving in the United States, Amerike, from Eastern Europe in the late 19th and early 20th centuries found themselves in a completely new environment and culture. American audiences preferred bulgars and up tempo swing numbers, and the great players, bandleaders and composers eked out their own styles, mixing with swing and jazz orchestras, Greek traditional musicians, and others to create something decidedly Jewish, but unmistakably American.