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

