One of the foremost in the new generation of klezmer clarinetists, Margot Leverett has spent the past two decades exploring the boundaries of her chosen field, combining impeccable technique, playful virtuosity, and an adventuresome soul. Tonight, she joins forces with various musical cohorts—including Eric & Suzy Thompson—to present the fruits of her recent explorations of the shared musical spirit of klezmer and bluegrass music.

A classically trained musician, Margot was involved in avant-garde music when she first heard klezmer, and was hooked.  A founder of the legendary Jewish music revivalists, the Klezmatics, Margot went on to a solo career before launching her current band, The Klezmer Mountain Boys. As heard on their eponymous CD on the Traditional Crossroads label, Margot and the Boys delve deeply into the shared musical spirit of klezmer and bluegrass—two genres that are literally worlds apart. Appalachian and southern fiddle tunes by Bill Monroe meet klezmer melodies from pre-war Russia and Eastern Europe. The resulting medleys and improvisations are at once raw, funny, soulful, and downright footstomping.