Ashkenaz Festival: Adrian Gross & KlezGrass (Kensington/Baldwin Stage)

Led by Adrian Gross, one of the country’s most accomplished mandolinists, KlezGrass reimagines a set of Klezmer songs played as high-energy Bluegrass tunes. This way of playing ancient Klezmer songs is rarely done in public, but is often a feature of jams, with Klezmer called “Jewish Bluegrass” among Gross’ friends. This special Ashkenaz set races from Appalachia to Bessarabia and back, blurring the lines between two of this band’s favourite genres. Featuring Adrian Gross on mandolin (of The Slocan Ramblers), James McEleney on bass, Jaron Freeman-Fox on fiddle and Simon Diamond on guitar.