The Nifty's quartet has made a name for itself with a surprising approach to klezmer. With their roots firmly anchored in jazz and improvised music, the band members constantly rewrite klezmer, sometimes pairing its sounds with metal or polka with surf rock. The path they follow is ‘the escape from every conceivable pigeonhole,’ they say about themselves. Where does the name come from? Niftys was the nickname of Naftule Brandwein. Born in Galicia in 1889, he became famous in the USA for his extraordinary talent and extravagant lifestyle. At that time hardly any other klezmer clarinettist was as influential and style-defining as he was.

Photo Bruckner-Weinhuber