KlezmerGuide started as a personal database to keep tabs on the recordings and sheet music collections I accumulated as a klezmer clarinetist. As the information snowballed, I found myself providing excerpts to individuals on request, and subsequently decided to render the information as comprehensive as possible to make it useful to the public.
KlezmerGuide focuses on recordings and sheet music from Klezmer's "golden age" in the United States (the first half of the 20th century), but its listings are far more comprehensive, including numerous recordings and sheet music sources dating to the present. Numerous historic recordings can be heard for free online thanks to the Judaica Sound Archives, Florida Atlantic University, the Mayrent Institute, and hundreds (thousands?) of YouTube postings. A discography for recordings that are not derived from 78 RPM "singles" is contained in the Sources section, along with bibliographic information for the sheet music sources cited.
Please DO NOT mail me with requests for additional information (such as assistance in locating sources of music, etc.); all that I have to offer on this topic is presented in this guide, and I regret that i am unable to assist the musical community with anything more. If your question isn't answered on the Notes or Sources pages, try the resources on my Links page.
That said, I certainly invite corrections, updates, and other feedback, which may be sent to me at klezmer@lutins.net.
