Margot Leverett (First Hour)
Erik Balkey & Bonnie Lee Panda (Second Hour-plus)

Wow. It was another musical doubleheader and one that offered listeners musical diversity and superb artistry.

For the first hour, we welcomed to Profiles in Folk for the first time klezmer clarinet virtuoso Margot Leverett. Margot is one of the new generation of klezmer musicians and she has not only enjoyed a successful solo career but also now heads a group — the Klezmer Mountain Boys — that melds klezmer and bluegrass music into a new exciting music of medleys and improvisations.

Margot helped found the Klezmatics in 1985 and Mikveh in 1999 before moving on to a solo career and now the Klezmer Mountain Boys. Her solo album, “The Art Of Klezmer Clarinet,” was released in 2001 on Traditional Crossroads, which also issued the recording debut of “Margot Leverett & The Klezmer Mountain Boys” in 2003. She can be reached through www.klezmermountainboys.com

The conversation was ride ranging and included discussion of the Klezmer Mountain Boys music being chosen for a new piece by the Paul Taylor Dance Company. It will be premiered at the company’s 50th anniversary at City Center in New York City on March 1 with the band performing live.

For the second hour, we welcomed back old friend Erik Balkey, who is fast gaining a reputation as one of America’s emerging new crop of outstanding songwriters. He has a brand new album, “While The Paint Dries.” He can be reached at www.erikbalkey.com

Every time Erik has visited he’s brought at least one new and outstanding performer unknown to us. This time it was Connecticut’s own Bonnie Lee Panda and what a treat. Bonnie Lee, a regional finalist in the Nashville Star Competition, hails from Cheshire and has an angelic voice that’s firmly rooted in country music, with touches of pop, blues and classical. Her debut CD is “Within” and Bonnie Lee can be reached at www.bonnieleepanda.com

All three performers had concerts in our broadcast area that weekend.

My sincere thanks to WSHU’s Amanda Veautour who did yeoman’s duty in engineering this 2.5 hour tour de force.