The 4th Ward Afro-Klezmer Orchestra is a nine-piece klezmer-funk-rock-jazz ensemble that performs original compositions and arrangements combining West African rhythms with Eastern European klezmer melodies. The 4WAKO boasts a roster of extraordinary veteran talent.
The 4WAKO is... Colin Bragg - electric guitar | Edin Beho - acoustic guitar | Jeff Crompton - alto/bari/clarinet | Nick Dixon - trombone | Eric Fontaine - tenor | Noah Kess - drums | Bill Nittler - alto/bari/clarinet | Chris Riggenbach - bass | Roger Ruzow - trumpet | Tony Staffiero - tenor sax
- …tunes that swing like Ellington’s jungle nights at the Apollo, carve soulfunk grooves reminiscent of Fela Kuti’s Africa ’70 and rock the bar mitzvah like there’s no Second Coming. It’s a mash-up of seemingly incompatible styles...”
- The 4th ward Afro-Klezmer Orchestra plays exactly what the name promises, a merger of Western and African rhythms and Klezmer-influenced song styles laid down by some of the best jazz hands in Atlanta.
- East Atlanta Passover Stomp is a swinging, adventurous mash-up that evokes the deep love… for the charts of Mingus and Ellington as well as studious engagement with the Jewish klezmer fool tradition…”