Kommuna Lux, a lively folk music ensemble from Odesa, Ukraine, performs May 30 at Tsunami Books on a West Coast U.S. tour, raising funds for direct aid in the country through their nonprofit KMLX. The conservatory-trained musicians focus on acoustic traditions, blending Eastern and Central European folk music jazz and klezmer, which is celebratory Ashkenazi Jewish music of Central and Eastern Europe. Still, with instruments such as clarinet, trumpet, trombone, percussion and voice, the band holds a similar irreverent sensibility and showmanship to Balkan punk bands like Gogol Bordello. When Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, Kommuna Lux stood at a crossroads. Some members left to join the fight, while those remaining decided their place was sharing their cultural heritage on stage. The name Kommuna Lux roughly translates to “community light,” and on that note, clarinetist and bandleader Volodymyr Gitin says humor plays a large role in what the band does. “Many songs from both the Odesa and Ukrainian repertoire,” he says, “are colorful, funny stories, full of wit, irony and charm.” He explains that humor “has a special power to lift people’s spirits, especially in difficult times like these.” Early on, Kommuna Lux joined flash mobs in Odesa, and because of that fact, “each performance feels unique and memorable,” Gitin adds. “Playing music in the street creates a different kind of connection with people. It allows us to share our art in the purest and most natural form.”

Kommuna Luxplays 7:30 pm Saturday, May 30, at Tsunami Books, 2585 Willamette Street. Tickets are $25 in advance, $30 at the door, and available at TsunamiBooks.org. The show is all ages.

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