I was introducing Klezmer music to one of my clarinet students yesterday. I still have a lot to learn myself, so basically all I was able to teach her was how to smear/glissando/portamento (there are lots of terms for this effect. Listen to the opening clarinet lick from an orchestral version of Rhapsody in Blue and you'll hear a smear. Also, Artie Shaw was a master of them, and used this effect a lot in his soloing) and what some of this music might sound like.
Klezmer music is mostly dance music originated by the Ashkenazic Jews of Eastern Europe. Professional Klezmer playing musicians are called klezmorim.
The term Klezmer comes from a combination of the Hebrew kley and zemer. Kley means instrument, zemer means song. The style of this music has the instruments (modern instrumentation consists of clarinets, accordians, and violins) playing in a distinctly expressive way, making the instruments laugh and cry over the melodies.
Next week, I will be attending a masterclass with someone who knows a bit more about this style, so I will hopefully have more to tell my student about this interesting way of playing the clarinet!
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