The Music

KLEZMER MUSIC - A little bit Polish, a little Russian. and a little Near Eastern, Klezmeris the music of the Eastern European Jews. It shimmers with all the 'chutzpah' glorious joy and soulful crying of the itinerant Yiddish troubadours who performed through out Europe for 400 years. These wandering musicians traveled, often on foot, between the 'shtetls' of Eastern Europe, playing at weddings and concerts, bringing the latest news and gossip from the surrounding towns...The klezmer sound washed ashore in america during the great immigration period between 1890 and 1910, where it first collided with the syncopation of American city life, the excitement of jazz, blues and ragtime and the exuberance of the big bands. Instrumental accompaniments were written for traditional Yiddish folk songs, previously sung a cappella in Europe. New songs were created for the Yiddish Theater, describing Jewish life, poverty and romance in both the
old and new worlds. Soon these sounds became standard klezmer fare, producing a mix dubbed "Yiddish Jazz".The social pressures in the immigrant communities to assimilate into mainstream American culture caused a natural decline in interest in this "old world" art form, and the klezmer musicians disappeared into show business attarge. The klezmer sound survived in Big Band style adaptations, and crtoon soundtracks. Until the 1970's this music had been forgotten anda neglected. Now it's
back, alive and thriving.Although called a Klezmer Band, the ODESSA KLEZMER ORCHESTRA also plays the music and rhythms of different heritages. This includes among others, music from Greece, Israel, Safardic and Ladino music, and Turkey,
offering a wide variety of styles