Klezmer Rebs

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

Here’s a first for the Klezmer Rebs – young, exciting and still finishing her DJ course at Polytech, DJ Cut Loose (aka Jen) has remixed Od Yishama, which is part of a medley on the 13th track of the Rebs latest CD Just add shmaltz.

Cut Loose was given the Rebs’ pre-mastered tracks from the song and has transformed it into something very different.  Yishama-o-rama she calls it. You can listen to it right now!

… or head over to Jen’s Myspace page, and you can dance to it anywhere!

Finally the Rebs have some gigs in the Wellington region after playing Taranaki, Palmy and Greytown over the summer, and some private invitation only gigs (we were proud to play at the opening of the Anne Frank Exhibition at Te Papa).  Catch us at Bodega or Paekakariki, or head up to Whanganui:

17 March St Patricks Day Klezmer Special at Bodega with Oy Azoy and Klezmer Rebs  Oy just $5 at the door. Rebs play from 9.15 – 10, and Oy Azoy play from 10.30 – 11.15. Two klezmer bands on St Paddy’s Day – how bizarre! Expect some promiscuous musical exchanges between members of both bands.  Oy Azoy is the new klezmer kid on the block – very jazzy and contemporary, featuring Lorenzo Pradel – tenor sax,  Will Sklenars – double bass, Josh Simon – keys, Reece Mcnaughten – drums, Dean Scott – trombone, and Hayden Hockley – clarinet.

20 March Folk, Yeah fundraiser for Green Party at Paekakariki Memorial Hall, from 7pm, $15/$12 concession, featuring Chilli Jam, Matiu Te Huki and Klezmer Rebs, plus DJ Ara. Come and support the Greens. Always a great crowd at Paekakariki. Cash bar.

2 May, 6.30pm Whanganui Jazz Club, at Whanganui RSA

Our clarinetist Urs and his lovely partner Em have thrilled the Rebs by bringing into the world a little fellow and future Klezmer Rebs fan. Enormous mazel tov from all the Rebs to Urs and Em and the little Rebbelakh!

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.