Little Chef Klezmer Band is a premiere professional ensemble based in Phoenix, Arizona, performing at weddings, b’nai mitzvah celebrations, concerts, private events, and more.
What is klezmer?
Though you may not know it by name, you probably recognize the sound of klezmer - a centuries-old musical tradition performed by instrumental musicians at Jewish celebrations and lifecycle events. Little Chef Klezmer Band’s lineup of clarinet, saxophone, accordion, percussion, and tuba/sousaphone is inspired by Eastern European brass bands. The ensemble’s arranging style pays tribute to early American klezmer bands whose recordings were popular among American Jewish immigrants in the first half of the twentieth century.
the tale of little chef klezmer band
In the historic Garfield neighborhood of Phoenix, a 1950s diner sits on a dusty desert corner, its curving facade and neon lights straight out of a midcentury highway road-stop. In November of 2022, the owners of the Little Chef Diner asked saxophonist Max Schwimmer to play on the diner’s patio during the Downtown Phoenix First Friday art walk, and Little Chef Klezmer Band was born. The diner is now closed, but its spirit lives on in the LCKB.
In January of 2024, LCKB performed in a multi-day artist residency with accordionist Christina Crowder, showcasing recently-discovered klezmer manuscripts from Ukraine, culminating in a concert at Beth El Phoenix. The project was supported by the Center for Jewish Philanthropy of Greater Phoenix, ASU Jewish Studies, and the East Valley JCC, and was featured in the Phoenix Jewish News.
Since 2024, LCKB has performed as the resident ensemble of the Phoenix Yiddish Culture Festival (formerly the Phoenix Klezmer and Yiddish Dance Festival), collaborating with guest dance leader Miryam Coppersmith and working alongside other Phoenix artists to produce educational programming and klezmer concerts . The festival is supported by the City of Phoenix Department of Arts and Culture.
Little Chef Klezmer Band has performed throughout the Southwest US, including in El Paso, TX at Albuquerque’s Klezmerquerque festival in a guest appearance with Jordan Wax. The band’s music was featured in the pre-roll for the 2025 Greater Phoenix Jewish Film Festival.
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