Programme Burgess & Klein

Burgess & Klein

Richard Klein is a high energy singing fiddler born in Orange, New Jersey. In his early teens he discovered folk and roots music through listening to the likes of Woody Guthrie, Pete Seeger and The New Lost City Ramblers. 

Travelling to Cape Breton Island in mid 1970s sparked the interest for Celtic music that later brought Richard to travel, live, work and busk extensively through Ireland and the British Isles. A chance meeting with a gang of Swedish fiddlers in Shetland in 1978 introduced another important influence in his fiddle style. But it was being properly introduced to Cajun music later that same year in France that had the most profound impact on his music. 

Resident in Wellington since 1997, Richard is best known for his collaboration with the Le Blanc Brothers Cajun Band (Melbourne) and the geographically challenged Kiwi Americana band, T-Bone. In 2023 he relinquished his American citizenship. The accent, however, remains and you will find him to be a charming gentleman and defender of genuine culture.

With his versatile fiddle playing and strong vocal style Richard formed the RK Cajun band which included Levin based multi-instrumentalist and singer Simon Burgess. 

Simon plays guitar, bass and sings both solo and with a variety of bands, choirs and ensembles. In the local folk scene he has enjoyed supporting and the support of  Mary Coughlan, Lorina Harding, Colleen Trenwith, Laura Collins and Andrew London. 

His multi instrumental skills have been applied in teaching, on stage and for recordings across the classical, jazz, blues and folk genres including playing with Bayou Seco (New Mexico) at balfolk festivals in France. In 2008 he formed Tandrom Trio and was later a founding member of the legendary Balkanistas in Wellington.

Together Richard and Simon have developed a broader repertoire as a duo, maintaining a solid base of Cajun songs and dance tunes but including some old-time, blues and more contemporary material. Their individual musical experiences range across Americana and European music, from Jazz to Scandinavian fiddle tunes, thus ensuring a potent mix of melody and rhythm in performance. Let the good times roll!!

(The word ‘Cajun’ is a contraction of ‘Acadian’, a concept used to describe the nirvana land of peace and prosperity sought by refugee emigrants from 17th and 18th century France, expelled in le Grand Dérangement from the Canadian Maritime provinces by the British). 

 

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