Jewish Music Festival to honor trumpeter

The co-founder of the seminal American klezmer band The Klezmatics, trumpet extraordinaire Frank London, will be honored at this month's Jewish Music Festival with the first annual Shofar Award, given to musicians who have made a significant contribution to Jewish music.

“Frank is without par the most prolific composer, player, and bandleader on the international Jewish music scene,” says festival director Ellie Shapiro. “Deeply rooted in klezmer, he has done more than anyone else to bend the genre in ways that connect across cultures."

London is also known for performing with artists as diverse as Itzhak Perlman, David Byrne, LL Cool J and They Might Be Giants.

The 23rd annual Jewish Music Festival runs March 22-30 in venues around the Bay Area. London performs his score for 1907 Yiddish play by I.L. Peretz A Night in the Old Marketplace in a opening night performance March 22 at Berkeley Repertory Theatre in Berkeley CA.