Klezmer is an engaging style of world/folk music born out of the Yiddish/Jewish culture of eastern Europe in the 1800s and 1900s.

Klezmer music strives to evoke the sound (and joys and sorrows!) of the human voice, and its melodies and stylings originated in Jewish liturgical music.

The Klezmer Rebs play an eclectic mix of up-beat ethnic dance and wedding music, along with a few familiar and english language tracks. Live performances feature a range of klezmer tunes from the 1890’s to the present including Tum Balalaika (Play the balalaika) Ot a Zoy (Just like that), Ale Brider (All Brothers), a Russian song or two – Ochi Chornya (Dark eyes’), and some familiar English language tunes such as ‘Those were the days’, Ba meir bis du shein, Dona dona, and a cover of the Jews Brothers song ‘She’s my baby’. Indeed the Jews Brothers, who brought live Klezmer music to New Zealand, were one of the inspirations for the Klezmer Rebs.

The Klezmer Rebs formed as a breakaway from another group, Sam Gezentsvey’s Klezmer Orchestra which was far too structured for our rebellious band members, hence the ‘Rebs’. Reb in Yiddish is also term of respect accorded to someone learned.

Contact Klezmer Rebs for a gig, wedding, party, corporate function – we even do circumcisions