Classic American Klezmer by South Coast Simcha Band

She is President of RenZone Music, a publishing company, which has produced award winning CDs in the area of Children's Music. Renah's music background started as a child, as her grandmother was a singer, and her mother was a dancer. Renah has studied voice, guitar, bass and clarinet since childhood and is also a Sound Engineer for live performance and studio recordings. She continues to study with the best, including David Krakauer, formerly with the Klezmatics, Hankus Netsky of the famous Klezmer Conservatory Band, and Tom Kubis - the greatest jazz arranger today. Renah has been performing for the past twenty years to wonderful audiences everywhere.

Shohei Urata - Violin, Alto Sax

is a multi-ethnic, multi-faceted musician. He is classically trained and he started playing professionally at 16 in a string quartet project. He has performed with a Brazilian jazz band, the Freedom Riders, that featured him on the saxophone. He currently plays saxophone and keyboards with the Groove Syndicate, a funk band based in Southern California, and he has toured with them to Arizona. His other active project is putting together his composition portfolio, which include music written in various styles including classical French Impressionist, swing jazz, rock, funk, fusion, and Klezmer as well.

Alan Levin - Vocals, Lead Guitar, Bass Guitar

has been playing, Bass, guitar, and keyboards for over 35 years. He plays jazz standards, rock, country, and Klezmer and Jewish Music. He began his music education in 1959 with piano lessons from his sister, Carol. In 1964, he picked up the upright bass and played in the Junior High School orchestra and band for 3 years. He got his first guitar in 1966. Throughout the 70's and 80's, he performed around Los Angeles in various rock bands where he played guitar and keyboards. In the 90's, he was a featured performer in coffeehouses and festivals in South Orange County. He joined the band as Bassist/guitarist in late 2001. He feels that the band really lets him explore his musical ideas to the fullest.

Steve Chattler - Drums

is a native of Southern California. He received his first set of drums for his Bar Mitzvah and started taking lessons. He began playing in various bands, taking jobs performing at Bar/Bat Mitzvahs, B'nai Brith functions,musicals,Y.M.C.A. and Temple dances. Steve studied music in high school and college while playing in as many marching ,concerts ,rock, and jazz bands has he had time for. Steve was then hired by a top 40 band playing current hits, oldies and elvis songs and was soon on the road playing cocktail lounges seven nights a week. Steve enjoys keeping the beat to the many styles the band performs.

Aaron Kern - Piano

is classicaly trained and has been playing piano since age 7. He now plays a variety of music from classical to klezmer and from popular to jazz. Aaron joined the band in 2002 and adds a new dimension with his keyboard.

David Gilman - Tenor Sax, Flute

is a native of Los Angeles who grew up in Van Nuys and La Habra. He has played in a variety of musical groups, including the Harvard Wind Ensemble, the Northwestern Univ. Symphonic Band, the Huntington Beach Concert Band, the Los Feliz Woodwind Ensemble (Los Angeles), the Aeolian Chamber Players (Orange), the JCC Classical Orchestra (Costa Mesa), and several other chamber groups and theatrical productions. He played for the 1996 production of A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum at the Huntington Beach Library Theater. He also performed Mozart's Concerto for Clarinet and Ludwig Spohr's Second Concerto for Clarinet with the JCC Classical Orchestra. David can also be heard playing for Shir Shabbat services at Temple Beth Sholom in Santa Ana. He studied clarinet with Kalman Bloch, retired principal clarinetist with the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra, and flute with Trix Kout of the Longy School of Music in Cambridge, Mass. In addition to performing, David also arranges music. David's vast knowledge in rock to classical adds a huge dimension to the band, and his horn arrangements brings the band to its highest level!

Keith Wolzinger - Trumpet

began studying the trumpet at age 9 and has played continuously ever since. He has performed with many college and university ensembles, including San Jose State University, University of Southern California, University of California Santa Barbara, University of California Irvine, University of Nevada Las Vegas, Saddleback College, Irvine Valley College, Gavilan College, and Golden West College. He has performed for many years with the Huntington Beach Concert Band and is a current member of the Orange County JCC Orchestra. He has devoted himself to the study of jazz and klezmer music over the last several years, including participation at the world famous KlezKanada festival. Keith loves to be in the horn section of the band, adding the trumpet sound to the many styles played.

Lisa Chattler - Mandolin

has been a lifelong musician starting with piano lessons at age four. She's classically trained, having performed in literally hundreds of concerts. Lisa studied oboe as a student at Cal State Long Beach. She has been the principal oboist with the Huntington Beach Concert Band for over two decades and also plays principal oboe and English horn with the JCC Classical Orchestra. Inspired by her talented mandolin and harmonica playing grandfather, Lisa plays mandolin with theband. She loves the small ensemble and is passionate about the energy exchanged between musicians and audiences. Lisa and Steve believe in instilling a love of music in their two daughters who play bassoon and piano.

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