The Klezmatics: Ukrainian Klezmer Music

As the Klezmatics’ website says, “Since emerging from New York City’s East Village in 1986, they have led a global revival of klezmer, combining centuries-old Yiddish tradition with radical contemporary sensibilities.” This clip from a televised concert on KEXP, a Seattle radio station, features the track “Kermeshl in Ades” (Celebration in Odessa), from their 2016 album. This track is a medley of Ukrainian Jewish dance tunes, interspersed with Yiddish couplets about visiting Ades (Yiddish for Odessa), a city in present-day Ukraine that historically had a large Jewish community). The couplets were collected by folklorist Ruth Rubin, along with many other Yiddish songs. The Klezmatics composed, arranged, and performed this song in solidarity with the people of Ukraine during the Russia-Ukraine war that began in 2014.

The song has certain similarities to the patriotic Ukrainian song “Oi u luzi chervona kalyna pokhylylasia” (Oh, the Red Viburnum in the Meadow). Both originated in late nineteenth-century Ukraine and are arranged in a modern style and performed as resistance to Russian attacks.