Mix a dose of klezmer with a pinch of jazz, a shot of balkan and a smidgen of gypsy, et voilà, you’ve got the recipe for Amsterdam Klezmer Band. They like to make you sweat, but they can make you dream away on a soulful lament as well. In the AKB LAB series, the band looks for inspiration in unexpected corners. For this edition they welcome Izaline Calister.

She has been called ‘Queen Izaline’ and ‘the queen of Antillean music’; Curacao singer Izaline Calister is able to evoke the warmth of the Caribbean with her voice. Previously she won an Edison Jazz and World Music Award, and the last few years she has toured with numerous theater shows, spreading knowledge about Curaçao culture, language and music.

The Amsterdam Klezmer Band has been around for over twenty-five years. It was founded in Café De Nieuwe Lelie by front man Job Chajes and bassist Jasper de Beer, and grew into a formation with a marvelous live reputation, from Paradiso to The Concertgebouw, and from Sziget to Lowlands.