Queen Kong’s aim is to push the boundaries of what can be considered Jewish/Klezmer music by combining traditional sounds with funk, improv and jazz sensibilities. The melodies are familiar and new, with harmonies that take the listener on a trip from the sacred to the profane. Lorie Wolf’s original compositions are contemplative and complex yet groovy as hell. Their debut recording, Fray, was released internationally in May 2022. In April 2024, the band was named Instrumental Band of the Year by the Canadian Folk Music Awards. Fray was lauded by the Vancouver Sun among “five new albums from women musicians you need to hear.” Queen Kong is Lorie Wolf (drums, bandleader, composer), Max Forster (trumpet), John Williams (clarinet), Nathan Dell-Vandenberg (trombone), Graham Campbell (guitar) and Tom Richards (sousaphone).
For the full Union Summer lineup click here.