Songs
N.Y. Psycho Freylekhs is a performance piece by The Klezmatics, receiving a positive mention for its enthusiastic performance and experimental jazz-in
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Videos
rhythm + jews revsited
First time on vinyl with alternative takes
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- artist:The Klezmatics
- region:New York City
- release year:2025
- style(s):Klezmer
- country:USA
- formats:Audio File / Digital, LP / Vinyl
- record posted by:Piranha Arts
- label:Piranha Arts
- publisher:Piranha Arts
- buy this record
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The Grammy winning, rolling stones of Klezmer revisit their groundbreaking Rhythm + Jews album on the occasion of their 40th anniversary: Listen to alternative takes & mixes from the original December 1990 recording sessions, remastered and released and for the first time on vinyl.
The legendary New York Yiddish band The Klezmatics has changed the face of contemporary Jewish culture through their uniquely original and expansive work in the fields of klezmer music and Yiddish song. Their career achievements span 13 full-length recordings, countless international concert tours and festivals across five continents, and collaborations with renowned icons of music, theater, television, radio, cinema and dance. The Klezmatics are the subject of an acclaimed documentary film (On Holy Ground, 2010) and the recipients of numerous international accolades, including the 2006 Grammy Award for Best Contemporary World Music Album.
Klezmer music is one of the most instantly recognizable and unique elements of Jewish culture, as well as one of the most distinctive and influential genres in world music. It has played a crucial role in the preservation of the Yiddish language and culture and contributed in innumerable ways to the language of global music.
In 2026, The Klezmatics will be celebrating their 40th anniversary. This milestone will include the re-issue of many of their landmark recordings which will include previously unpublished material.
As part of this momentous celebration, The Klezmatics are thrilled to announce the re-issue of their seminal 1991 album, “Rhythm & Jews: revisited”, set for release in autumn 2025 on a limited-edition vinyl LP. Originally released in the pre-digital era, this groundbreaking album never made its way to modern platforms—until now. The re-issue features alternate versions of the album’s iconic tracks, unearthed from recently discovered master files, offering fans and new listeners alike a fresh perspective on this klezmer masterpiece.
This re-issue is a cornerstone of The Klezmatics’ 40th anniversary festivities, which will include a series of special events throughout 2026, such as international concert tours, exclusive archival releases, and collaborations celebrating their legacy in Jewish and world music. Fans can look forward to additional re-issues of landmark recordings, featuring previously unreleased material that further illuminates the band’s unparalleled contribution to klezmer and Yiddish culture.
Rhythm & Jews Revisited on LP will be available for pre-order starting 15th September through The Klezmatics’ official website, Piranha Distribution and select retailers. Stay tuned for more announcements about The Klezmatics’ 40th anniversary events and releases.
Quotes:
The Rough Guide to World music, 100 Essential CDs, Simon Broughton.
"This is New York klezmer with attitude - bold, sophisticated and, when it needs to be, raw.... The love and respect the band has for their material allows them to be incredibly free with it, pulling tunes apart and reassembling them in new forms. The opening track, Fun Tashkikh, takes its tune from a 1926 recording by Brandwein, but transforms it with Arabic percussion from Mahmoud Fadl,...growling bass clarinet and ghostly screams. It's a powerful opening and an understated political comment in the way it combines Jewish and Arabic sounds."
AllBoutJazz, 2019, Michael Winograd
The Klezmatics are one of the most popular klezmer bands from the last thirty years. Their second full length album, Rhythm and Jews, still gets a spin in my boom box pretty regularly. There is a freshness and a sense of musical liberty that is so tangible on this record.
Dallas Observer, Robert Willonsky, 12/1995
Of the modern klezmer bands, the Klezmatics are probably the most innovative, though they began as strict traditionalists. Led by arranger-composer Frank London (who has worked with the likes of David Byrne, LL Cool J, and They Might Be Giants), their albums Rhythm and Jews and Jews with Horns echo the past but hint at a future in which klezmer begins to absorb everything from punk to rap.
New York Times, 02/1993
The Klezmatics extend the nonpurist impulses of klezmer, the East European music that came to the United States with Jewish immigrants and changed at every stop. For the Klezmatics, touches of jazz and rock are natural additions to klezmer, which has always featured improvisation and dance rhythms… and its arrangements borrow various gambits, including stop-time breaks and modernist jazz harmonies. Its current album is called "Rhythm and Jews"
The Village Voice 02/2002
"The Klezmatics continue to explore the interstices between jazz, ethnic music, and radical culture with considerable style and verve.
The Tinnitist, 2003
With a name inspired by punks The Plasmatics and a sound based around Jewish folk music, New York’s Klezmatics are built from equal parts tradition and silliness. „Rhythm & Jews” belongs in the collection of any world music fan. Along with being regarded as one of the finest klezmer records ever made, Rhythm & Jews may also be the best album title of all time.
Berliner Zeitung Harry Lachner, Berlin 1993
The Klezmatics take from jazz what it once borrowed from gypsy music; they draw their energy from rock music and their scales from Arabic music. The result: likably over-the-top, respectful of tradition, and yet refreshingly rebellious.
Folksblatt 2/1993
"Rhythm + Jews" really doesn't need to be replaced. This second CD already corresponds to the principles that the Klezmatics have set for themselves: Music must not remain static, it must evolve: Music is alive! Conventional Klezmer has now evolved into a kind of "Jewish folk jazz," whatever you want to call it, with an emphasis on various rhythms.
MAZ, Horst Böhlefeld 1992
From polka to jazz to rock 'n' roll - there's hardly a musical genre that hasn't incorporated klezmer. The Klezmatics from New York demonstrate this skillfully.
Soundcheck, 06/92 Stefan Kunze
Recently awarded the German Record Critics' Prize, the six Klezmatics from New York present traditional Yiddish Klezmer music and have made a significant contribution to the revival of this music.
Rhythm+Jews is a mixture of Yiddish (mostly instrumental) folk tunes, with roots in North Africa and the Balkans. Lorin Sklamberg sings like a cross between Ofra Haza and Alexandra (the one with the dead tree), accompanied by clarinet and violin, so languishing that it ebbs away into furious/fidel dances.