• BanJew: The Secret History of the Banjo in Yiddish Music

    Virtual Presentation

    The mass emigration of Eastern European Jews to the United States in the late 19th Century occurred when the banjo was a dominant force in popular music. While Jews did not become involved in the older more established worlds of minstrel banjo or the later classic finger-style banjo, the newly emerging worlds of ragtime and jazz offered an unfettered ground floor for this new collaboration. Join us to hear how the banjo became a mainstream Jewish presence in the Yiddish theater and traditional klezmer bands. Learn how our presenter, the producer and performer Henry Sapoznik, reintroduced the banjo in the mid-1970s klezmer “revival” and its subsequent worldwide renaissance.

    To register and receive the link, please click: Banjo 

    Lasting Impressions: DOROT’s Legacy Project is generously supported by a grant from the Keller-Shatanoff Foundation