Queen Kong

Shortly after forming Queen Kong in 2019, Wolf traveled to New York to study with Frank London of the famed band The Klezmatics. During this sojourn, Wolf crossed paths with klezmorim clarinet superstar Michael Winograd. Intrigued by the project, Winograd was eager to join the band for the three day recording session that resulted in this new record. Wolf’s ten originals move through moments of off-kilter syncopation (Bethema), jazz (If/Then), elegiac meditation (Kaddish for Jonny), pizzicato-punctuated Balkan funk (“East 3rd and C”), and more. This year, Queen Kong received a coveted recording grant from CCA and was nominated for “Performance Artist of the Year” by Folk Music Ontario. and has been featured at the Toronto Jazz Festival, Ashkenaz Festival, BLOK Festival of Slavic Music, Parry Sound Festival and Jewish Music Week.

“…an elegant statement on joining together two disparate traditions into something organic, upholding the essence of both. With Fray, the melancholy joy of Eastern European Jewish music takes on the fluid rhythms and improvisational direction of jazz…” David Luhrssen – Shepherd Express