Mickey Van Gelder

Growing up in Ilford, Essex, artist Mickey Van Gelder had a conventional, mainstream Jewish upbringing. His grandparents were all from the Ukraine and Poland.

He has always loved Jazz and Blues and even at school in the 1960s he was listening to people like Big Bill Broonzy, Charlie Parker and the Basie Band. But underpinning all his musical influences, were the Hebrew and Yiddish songs from his childhood.

Mickey began writing songs in the mid-1970s, later joining the band World Series with percussionist Pablo Cook. The band wrote and recorded their own material and played loads of gigs around London and the South-East of England.

Over the last few years, since moving to Manchester, Mickey has become more and more involved with learning and performing Jewish and Yiddish songs. However, he stills loves to perform his jazz and blues and can offer a specific show which focuses on the Jewish composers of the Great American Songbook or even a show which combines both Yiddish songs and the Great American Songbook pieces.