klezmer

[ klez-mer ]

noun

, plural klez·mo·rim [klez-m, uh, -, reem].

1. a Jewish folk musician traditionally performing in a small band.
2. Also klezmer music. the type of music performed by such musicians.

klezmer

/ ˈklɛzmə /

noun

1. a Jewish folk musician, usually a member of a small band
2. Also calledklezmer music the music performed by such a band

Word History and Origins

Origin of klezmer¹

From Yiddish

Word History and Origins

Origin of klezmer¹

Yiddish

Example Sentences

In addition to wrapping up his two new albums, “Brass Conspiracy” by Conspiracy Brass and “Spirit Stronger Than Blood” by the Elders, he delivered a Klezmer Brass Allstars album, “Chronika,” last December.

From New York Times

At 66, the trumpeter, composer, arranger and bandleader has collaborated with everyone from Mel Tormé to LL Cool J. A founding member of the Klezmatics, a band that helped to revitalize the klezmer style during the late ’80s, London has worked for decades at a fertile crossroads where Jewish music meets downtown jazz.

From New York Times

The celebration, happening on Monday at the Brooklyn venue Roulette, features the Klezmatics alongside three of London’s bands: Conspiracy Brass, a buoyant, funky horns-and-percussion aggregation; the Elders, a soulful, hard-swinging quintet of seasoned jazzers; and Klezmer Brass Allstars, who meld traditional Yiddish and Hasidic music with electronic beats.

From New York Times

He isn’t as well-known as some of the people he’s worked with, like Anderson, the novelist Kathy Acker, the choreographer Bill T. Jones, the singular cellist Arthur Russell, or David Byrne; or the people he’s studied with, including the founding Minimalists Terry Riley and Pauline Oliveros, with whom he played in a klezmer band.

From New York Times

The experience made him reflect on the role of violins in Jewish culture, from the shtetls of Eastern Europe to klezmer bands to Itzhak Perlman’s soaring concertos.

From New York Times