Sokolow, Peter

Peter Sokolow, born in 1940, has been active in Jewish music since 1956 as performer (piano, keyboards, reed instruments, vocalist), arranger-orchestrator, author and co-author of books on klezmer performance and repertoire, among them “The Compleat Klezmer”, and teacher-lecturer-historian.  He performed regularly with many of the “greats” of the past:  Dave Tarras, Irving Gratz, the Epstein Brothers, Sid Beckerman, Paul Pincus, Ray Musiker, Howie Leess, Danny Rubinstein, Rudy Tepel, Sam Kutcher, and many, many others.  He served as the link between the older generation and the young revivalists and is a founding member of the KlezKamp teaching staff (1985 to present).  He has been at KlezKanada since 1999.  His many recordings include Epstein Brothers (3 recordings:  1 in 1971, 2 in 1993),  Nigunei Chabad (7 recordings 1973 – 1981), Original Klezmer Jazz Band (1984 – 1993), Klezmer Plus (1988), Ray Musiker (2006), Michael Winograd’s Tarras Band (2010), Klezmerfats (2002), Kapelye (3 recordings:  1994, 2003, 2005), and Peter Sokolow:  A Living Tradition (2010), in which he plays all instrumental parts, keyboards and reeds, and wrote orchestrations..  He also has had parallel careers playing in traditional jazz and commercial dance groups.  TV/Film appearances:  The Chosen (1981), A Jumpin’ Night in the Garden of Eden (1988), Fiddler on the Hoof (BBC 1991), A Tickle in the Heart (1996), In the Fiddler’s House (1998).