Biography
Nifty's is a klezmer-jazz band formed 1999 in Austria. They play a mixture of klezmer and eastern european folklore, spiced up with elements of modern music such as dub and ska. Their so-called "Unza-Musik" combines rough and lyrical moments with Uptempo- Insanity as well as a big focus on Improvisation. Nifty’s sound is perhaps the best answer to Naftule „Nifty“ Brandwein's question (which he transformed into a songtitle) : „Wie bist Du gewesen vor Prohibition?“ (What where you like before Prohibition?)
The bandname Nifty's can be traced back to Naftule "Nifty" Brandweind or Naftuli Brandwine, (1884–1963) a Jewish clarinetist and influential in klezmer music.
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Brandwein was known as much for his colorful personality as for his musical talent.
His wild style incorporated not only the influence of Jewish music, but also flourishes of Greek, Turkish, and Gypsy music. His warm and lively playing style would constantly jump up and down the scale and express itself in trills, slides and other ornamentation; he is often contrasted to the other famous klezmer clarinettist of his time, Dave Tarras, who had a more conservative but nonetheless very talented playing style.
The Band has recorded two albums, "Takeshi Express" and their most recent work "Naftularasa" in 2009.
Fabian POLLACK – Guitar
Michael BRUCKNER – Guitar
Thomas BERGHAMMER – Trompet
Dominik GRÜNBÜHEL – Bass
Mathias KOCH – Drums, Percussion
Biography text from Last.fm, available under CC BY-SA.