Klezmer Rebs

We are the Klezmer Rebs - Wellington New Zealand's Ethnic and European Band

The sun shined for the Rebs at Greytown Arts Festival on Sunday 24 January

Here are a few snaps from our 2 sets.

At the end we enjoyed an old fashioned jam session with the other musos on the bill.

Stephen Fisher of the Manawatu Standard reviews the Klezmer Rebs’ 17 January performance at the Palmerston North Library with lots of kind words here.

The Rebs have just returned from 2 stunning shows in the Manawatu. First we played the great rural cafe the Bent Horseshoe. Must have done something right because the packed cafe of 42 paying customers bought 18 CDs! Thanks to Steve at the Cafe for having the Rebs and being a passionate supporter of NZ music!

Then we drew a crowd of about 120 at Palmerston North City Library on Sunday afternoon.  What a welcome – Palmerston North sure knows how to show appreciation and support for us klezmorim!  Urs was particularly proud to have his ex music teacher from college in the audience.

Here is a foto from the Library gig.  We are looking forward to the review in the local Manawatu Standard after great publicity in all 3 local papers.

Check this link for a nice article on the Rebs in the Wairarapa Times Age promoting our upcoming performances at the Greytown Arts Festival on 24 January.

And apologies for the error in the article – Reb Rose O’hara (our keyboardist) is indeed from Masterton but her uncle not her grandfather started the famous Golden Shears competition.

Simon Sweetman published a short review of  the Klezmer Reb’s CD Just Add Shmaltz in The Dominion Post, Friday 2 October 2009, in the Entertainment section, page B6.  From the review:

If you have enjoyed The Benka Borodovsky Bordello Band or The Jews Brothers, then The Klezmer Rebs will be to your taste…. It’s thigh-slapping music that is likely to be returning to a Botanic Garden concert near you.

In the Listener (26 September – 2 October 2009, page 43) Ian Dando gives a great review of  the Reb’s latest CD Just Add Shmaltz:

This Wellington octet can let their hair down and swing Jewish wedding music with energetic solos just where it matters on clarinet, violin and trumpet, with spontaneous lead singing to match.  Clarinet solos are wildly creative in their Russian-flavoured Ochi Chorniye. There are some crackers when they leave traditional klezmer and write their own, especially the opening Kumt Kumt Chaverim, with its catchy refrains gyrating tonally between E minor and B flat major. The Rebs offer genuine in-style klezmer sonority, played with bubbling festivity.

You can get Just Add Shmaltz in fine music shops now.  This photo was taken at The CD & DVD Store at Wellington Airport. Yeah, that’s us right next to Fat Freddy’s Drop!  If your favourite shop doesn’t have a copy, ask them to order through Ode Records.

Listen to The Klezmer Rebs playing and being interviewed by Jim Mora on Radio New Zealand National’s Afternoons programme on 7 August 2009.

The Rebs new CD Just add shmaltz can now be obtained through Ode Records http://www.oderecords.co.nz/default.asp – we are featured on their site here http://www.oderecords.co.nz/highlights.asp?GenreID=11 (or you can order it on the cheap direct from us at http://klezmer.co.nz/cd-order/)

So ring up Ode chief honcho Roger Marbeck on 09 630 117 and tell him thanks for supporting NZ music. Oh yes, and order a hundred or so for your music shop!

One of our fecund violinists, Nikki, shows off a new ’sub’ Reb she and her husband Giacammo brought into the world recently. Sure to be a future klezmer! Mazel tov Nikki and Giacammo!