Oi Va Voi are a British band that takes its name from a Yiddish-derived exclamation popular in modern Hebrew meaning, approximately "Oh, dear!". It is an experimental band from London, England, which formed in the late 1990s.
Their sound draws on Jewish music from both the Ashkenazic and Sephardic traditions, including both klezmer and Ladino music, as well as Eastern European, especially Hungarian folk music, as well as contemporary electronic music.
Current band members
* Nik Ammar (guitars, mandolin, vocals, production),
* Josh Breslaw (drums, percussion, production),
* Leo Bryant (bass),
* Steve Levi (clarinet, vocals),
* David Orchant (trumpet),
Guests:
* Anna Phoebe (violin)
* Bridgette Amofah (vocals)
* Alice McLaughlin (vocals)
Former band members
* Sophie Solomon (violin, viola, piano, accordion, melodica), a founding member of the band who left in 2006 to launch her solo career.
* Lemez Lovas (trumpet, vocals, piano, songwriting, lyrics), main songwriter and lyricist, a founding member of the band who left in 2007.
Associated acts
* Anna Phoebe
* Maiya James of Spengler
* Earl Zinger (a.k.a. Rob Gallagher) of Galliano featured on the Laughter Through Tears album
* KT Tunstall, though never an official member of the band, featured on the Laughter Through Tears album and was a regular member of the live set-up. Her solo career then took off towards the end of 2004.
* Uzbek musician Sevara Nazarkhan featured on the Laughter Through Tears album
* Haylie Ecker
Albums
They have so far released three full length albums:
* Digital Folklore (which is now considered extremely rare) in 2002, and four vinyl singles.
* Laughter Through Tears (featuring guest vocals by KT Tunstall, Sevara Nazarkhan, and Earl Zinger of Galliano) in 2003
* Oi Va Voi, their third album on V2 records was released in mainland Europe in April 2007 - preceded by the single "Yuri". UK album launch was July 2007, followed by the single 'Yuri' in August 2007.
Awards
* Oi Va Voi won an Edison award for Album of the Year 2004 Netherlands
* Oi Va Voi was nominated for the BBC Awards for World Music 2003 in the Boundary Crossing category.
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