42 | JUNE 13 • 2024
J
N
I
t’s not every day the
self-proclaimed “Odessa
gangsta folk” band brings
its eclectic Ukrainian music
and style to Metro Detroit, but
Michiganders will soon have a
chance to experience the band’s
roaring Klezmer party atmo-
sphere for the first time.
Odessa, Ukraine-based
Kommuna Lux, a seven-mem-
ber group of musicians, will
visit Southfield, Lansing and
Kalamazoo this summer as part
of their U.S. fundraising tour,
which raises critical funds to
support ongoing war and civil-
ian needs in Ukraine.
Blending the traditional
Jewish folk style of Klezmer
music with common gangster
folk songs from their home-
town of Odessa, which houses
one of Ukraine’s largest and
most vibrant Jewish communi-
ties, Kommuna Lux isn’t your
average band.
Instead, Kommuna Lux not
only has a unique sound, but
also operates KMLX, an active
501(c)(3) charity that collects
funds while touring to give back
to those in need.
STAYING TRUE TO ROOTS
Kommuna Lux clarinetist
Volodymyr (Vova) Gitlin, a
Jewish musician originally from
Kryvyi Rih, got his first taste of
Klezmer music as a young boy
in music school.
The Klezmer sound was
prevalent in his synagogue and
the city’s local Jewish commu-
nity, and Gitlin fell in love with
the traditional Ashkenazi Jewish
folk music genre.
“It’s something that I feel
close to my heart,
” Gitlin says of
honoring his heritage and keep-
ing the Jewish sound alive.
After meeting other
like-minded musicians upon
moving to Odessa, Gitlin and
friends decided to start their
own band that paid a nod to
both Odessa and Klezmer roots.
In 2014, Kommuna Lux was
born, and Gitlin now serves as
its musical director.
The band is named after
“kommunalka,
” a shared hous-
ing concept in the former Soviet
bloc prevalent in Odessa and
other large cities. “Lux,
” mean-
while, is a nod to the joy of their
community.
All seven musicians are clas-
sically trained, blending vocals
with clarinet, accordion, trum-
pet, trombone, acoustic guitar
and percussion for a high-ener-
gy sound.
CELEBRATING AND
GIVING BACK
Since its inception, Kommuna
Lux has toured worldwide with
the same goal in every city: to
raise funds for charity. Yet they
faced a roadblock two years
back.
Upon the outbreak of the
Russia-Ukraine war in 2022,
Kommuna Lux members
questioned how they would
continue. Would people still
be interested in live shows?
ARTS&LIFE
MUSIC
Ukrainian folk band Kommuna Lux’s fundraising tour
hits Michigan stops this summer.
Klezmer Party
Offers a Good Time
ASHLEY ZLATOPOLSKY CONTRIBUTING WRITER
Kommuna
Lux
PHOTOS COURTESY KOMMUNA LUX