Seth Kibel

About the Artist

Seth Kibel is one of the Mid-Atlantic's premier woodwind specialists, working with some of the best bands in jazz, swing, and more.  Wowing audiences on saxophone, clarinet, and flute, Seth has made a name for himself in the Washington/Baltimore region, and beyond.  He is the featured performer with The Alexandria Kleztet, Bay Jazz Project, Music Pilgrim Trio, The Natty Beaux, and more.  Winner of 28 Washington Area Music Awards (Wammies), including "Best World Music Instrumentalist" (2003-11) and "Best Jazz Instrumentalist" (2005, 2007-8, 2011-14).  His most recent recording, Seth Kibel Presents: Songs of Snark & Despair, was released in 2017 on the Azalea City Recordings record label. This album is a collections of songs, with music and lyrics by Seth, written in direct response to the 2016 Presidential election and the events that followed, and features an all-star cast of vocalists and instrumentalists from throughout the Mid-Atlantic region. He is the leader, clarinetist, and composer for The Alexandria Kleztet, a genre-bending klezmer band he founded in the Baltimore/Washington area. The band's four albums, Peace, Love and Coffee (2009), Close Enough for Klezmer (2005), Delusions of Klezmer (2002) andY2Klezmer (1999) are all available nationwide. All four recordings received the Washington Area Music Association's (WAMA) award for Best World Music Recording following their release. Additionally, Seth was named "Best World Music Instrumentalist" by WAMA every year from 2003 through 2011. In 2012, he was bestowed the honor of "Emeritus" status in this category. In 2005, 2007, 2008, and 2011-14 he was also named "Best Jazz Instrumentalist."  In 2017, his song "New Waltz" took home the Grand Prize in the Mid-Atlantic Song Contest, sponsored by the Songwriter's Association of Washington (SAW). In addition to his activities with The Kleztet, Seth has fronted a variety of swing and jazz groups, including Bay Jazz Project. In 2002, he was commissioned to write, perform, and record an original score for Dreams in the Golden Country, an original theatrical production at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. In January 2004, Seth released his first jazz CD, Nuts and Bolts. His second solo album, The Great Pretender, was a blues/jazz project released in July 2007 on the Azalea City Recordings record label. His third solo record, Phonin' It In with Seth Kibel and Bay Jazz Project, is a straight-ahead acoustic jazz record released on Azalea City Recordings in July 2011.  In April 2014, he released a "Jazz for Kids" album, Jazz For People Who Are Shorter Than Me," which was named "Best Children's Music Recording" for 2014 by the Washington Area Music Association. He can also currently be seen with the Washington/Baltimore area's most exciting swing and jump blues band, The Natty Beaux, and Russian/Gypsy/Klezmer ensemble Music Pilgrim Trio. Seth has appeared with such notables as Sam Moore (Sam & Dave), Percy Sledge, The Coasters, and Johnnie Johnson. He has performed at the Kennedy Center, the Carter Barron Amphitheatre, the Lowell Folk Festival in Lowell, Massachusetts, as well as on several European tours.

Artist's Statement

Seth Kibel is one of the Mid-Atlantic’s premier woodwind specialists, working with some of the best bands in klezmer, jazz, swing, and more.  Wowing audiences on clarinet, saxophone, and flute, Seth has made a name for himself in the Washington/Baltimore region, and beyond. He is the featured performer with The Kleztet, Bay Jazz Project, Music Pilgrim Trio, The Natty Beaux, and more.  Winner of 28 Washington Area Music Awards (Wammies), including “Best World Music Instrumentalist” (2003-11) and “Best Jazz Instrumentalist” (2005, 2007-8, 2011-14). His most recent recording, "When You're Smiling," was released in 2018 on the Azalea City Recordings record label.  His song "New Waltz" was the Grand Prize winner of 2016 Mid-Atlantic Song Contest (MASC), sponsored by the Songwriters' Association of Washington (SAW).  When he's not performing, Seth frequently lectures on a variety of topics in music history for numerous institutions, including the Osher Lifelong Learning programs at Johns Hopkins and Towson Universities.