Klezmeritis

KLEZMERITIS is a world music festival & concert band, inspired by Eastern European Jewish traditional celebration and dance music. The band creates infectious and soulful fusions of klezmer with Gypsy, Jazz and both Middle Eastern & Eastern European music.

Klezmeritis has played around Australia including Port Fairy, Woodford, National Folk & Fairbridge festivals. They have appeared on national television program “Spicks and Specks” as well as interview/performances on national radio including “The Deep End”.

Klezmer music draws on Jewish musical roots as well as Gypsy, Hungarian, Moldavian, Ukrainian, Greek, Turkish and Arabic modes and rhythms. The band also adds influences from their experiences in the improvised, jazz and middle-eastern areas. Ernie Gruner adds anecdotes, stories and cultural or historical explanations.

Klezmer music ranges widely from fast, joyous, dance tunes with pseudo-Balkan rhythms to slow, melancholic pieces designed to make brides weep. Klezmeritis also often includes Israeli dances (including horas), Chassidic ‘niguns’ (wordless singing believed to draw the singer & listeners closer to heaven) & Sephardic (Spanish/Middle-Eastern) pieces as well as music from related cultures including Polish mazurka, Hungarian czardas, Greek hasipiko, Russian Gypsy and original pieces.

Klezmeritis plays at concerts and festivals, Jewish celebrations including weddings, bar mitzvahs, anniversaries, and in addition is also available for:
CONCERTS – entertaining music ranging from wild to soulful, with stories about the music
WORKSHOPS – Ernie Gruner has given workshops on klezmer at most Australian folk festivals and many schools and associations for over 8 years, since before formation of Klezmeritis and his research trip to East Europe and USA.
ROVING – ideal for outdoors or acoustic events, street events (based on E.European Jewish tradition of walking the wedding party to the ceremony from home with the klezmer musicians leading the parade)
KLEZMER DANCE with caller Audrey Fine in Victoria or David Wanless in Tasmania (Ernie learnt the steps in Poland, and brought back material)
ISRAELI DANCE The band can work in association with an Israeli dance teacher, as it has a wide repertoire of Israeli as well as klezmer dances.