Brass Menažeri
I direct & perform with the Brass Menažeri ("Menagerie"), a brass band in the style of Balkan Rom (Gypsy) musicians. We infuse traditional tunes with an irresistible approach, and bring to life brand-new compositions in & out of the styles we draw from.
Black Olive Babes
This gorgeous band was founded in 2007 by 20-year Kitka member & former musical director Juliana Graffagna. Black Olive Babes weave a lush, eclectic mix of Balkan, Romani, Sephardic and American roots music. Sultry rhythms and soul-stirring melodies create a dance and trance-inducing groove that carries you from the shores of the Black Sea to the foothills of the Appalachians. BOB features some of the Bay Area's most innovative interpreters of Southern Balkan and Middle Eastern traditional music.
Stellamara
I play clarinet & nay with the renowned world music ensemble Stellamara, which combines Turkish, Cretan, & Arabic musical styles with ambient/electronic influences.
Orkestar Sali
I'm honored to play under the direction of Bulgarian Rom master bandleader, tamburaci & percussionist Rumen "Sali" Shopov in his wild, breakneck ensemble.
the Gonifs
Vocalist & accordionist Jeanette Lewicki & I founded this raucous klezmer band back in 1995. Many have been Gonifs, many have given up these ways. A few continue in secret... Here's our secret site.
Gamelan X
I play clarinet, trumpet & ceng ceng in Gamelan X, a hybrid baleganjur orchestra directed by EO (Eric Oberthaler). Traditionally baleganjur is the processional gamelan used for funerals, cremations, & other processions, & we've infused this form with western instruments & new compositions.
Other projects
- Klezmer music I also play (with varying regularity) with several klezmer ensembles, including California Klezmer, Ellis Island Old World Folk Band, & rare appearances with the San Francisco Klezmer Experience. If you're interested in hiring a klezmer band, please call Gerry Tenney (of California Klezmer) at.
- Greek music I play traditional Greek music of Macedonia, Epirus, & Peloponnesos. I have performed dhimotika with Georgios Leftheriotis, a beautiful violinist from Kalamata; Macedonian brass music with Michael Ginsburg (of Zlatne Uste); and Métsovo & Edessá styles with the dance troupes Stavraeti, Anemos, & Elliniki Paradosis.
- New Music I have performed with The Toids, a new Balkanesque band, and Ara Anderson's Iron & the Albatross, and performed & recorded with the pickPocket Ensemble.