Slipped through the net

You don’t immediately think of klezmer music when thinking of Finland. Besides Sampo Lassila and his band Narinkka give a surprising twist to the Jewish tradition. But things can get even crazier: klezmer from Japan. Betsuni Nanmo Klezmer is the name of the ensemble which was founded by jazz clarinet player Umezu Kazutoki. The Japanese stay surprisingly true to tradition although the accent of the vocalists give away that Yiddish is not their mother tongue.