Based in Paris, Zakarya were founded in 1999 by visionary accordionist Yves Weyh and feature Alexandre Wimmer on guitar, Vincent Posty on bass, and drummer Pascal Gully. Musically exploring aspects of Jewish history, humor, rhythms, scales, and sensibilities, Zakarya blend folk motifs with rock energy, klezmer abandon, and a general urge to break boundaries. The group signed with John Zorn's Tzadik Records in 2000, releasing Zakarya on the label a year later in 2001, following it with Something Obvious in 2003, 413A (featuring a guest spot from guitarist Marc Ribot) in 2006, and The True Story Concerning Martin Behaim in 2008. ~ Steve Leggett