KLEZZMATES

World music was promised by culture manager of Gronau,
Mr. Otto Lohle, when he announced Klezzmates at Cafe Oreade. Though the name of the Polish band suggests klezmer traditions, he was right. This conjecture proved correct as the Klezzmates were going to perform with classic klezmer sections: accordion (Marcin Wiercioch), contrabass (Jarek Wilkosz), violin (Bartek Staniak), clarinet (Tomek Polak), percussion (Krzysiek Kossowski). But those traditional among the listeners were surprised. There was no crying or laughter of the clarinet empathizing with any given mood. The band which pronounces Klezz as Jazz is playing its own compositions. The steady clarinet unfailingly yields to the band, creating melodies with the violin and the accordion. The quintet plays masterfully; it is technically great, fitted out with electronic sound boosters. Klezmer elements, like a distinct wailing of Russian folk songs, or often changes between the major and minor scales can be easily heard. But the spherical sound of violin, modified by resonance effects and others, is absolutely untypical for klezmer music. It is a world music based on the traditional music style of eastern Jews, but in major part changed by the influence of jazz. - Klaus Spellmeyer, 10.10.2008, Münsterische Zeitung

The Klezzmates from Cracow delighted audience in Drezden.
It is as if the melodies are winding around the silence. They do not reach it, they only surround it as if they wanted to resemble it. But the silence flees them.
A music over the silence - obviously a paradox. But the thing or two shown by the Klezzmates from Cracow at Sunday's afternoon in a small house also seemed to be unbelivable.
Five musicians at stage bathed in an atmospheric illumination, surrounded by the sounds of clarinet, violin, accordion, contrabass and percussion, some of the sounds are supernaturally beautiful, the other heart saddening, while the other ones rousingly jolly. The melodies are bouncing like a ping-pong balls. A proper and shared play with an introduction, variation and further sending, it all confirms a subtlety, diligence and the perceptible joy of music playing.
A sad song for D. slowly unravels in a meditation on the time. In front of a ticking clock the melody is arising and is taken up by consecutive instruments. Together it is possible to oppose a felling of time passing by to something which is personal and beautiful - even if the rhytmically ticking clock lefts its mark on the whole.
Generally the word despite is the best illustration of the klezmer music - the music which is the base of the Klezzmates compositions, along with elements of jazz and sometimes arabic-like sounding folk. Despite all of sadness, yearning, changing fortunes and goodbyes - despite of it all, we are still dancing in the moonlight (song's title), trying to use the time we were given.
The Klezzmates are young band; it's been only 3 years since five musicians met at the Academy of Music in Kraków. Their second album Reflections was presented in Dresden during the second concert of the band in this town. We are going to come here next year again, promised from behind the accordion Marcin Wiercioch. This statement was also rewarded with rapturous applause.
- Valeria Heintges, Sächsische Zeitung

I wouldn't advice listening to the music of Klezzmates whilst sitting - it rouses, you can lose yourself in it from the first intently listening.
However, it doesn't mean that we deal with the dance music. Just the opposite - complicated rhythmical and harmonious taken steps make the ideal space to exhibit the melodies of solo instruments. That melodiousness of the themes, improvisation parts, and also the ability of constructing compact compositions in relation to the form, with perfect dramaturgy are the virtues of the band. That soft music fascinates and at the same time positive energy emanates out of it.
But Klezzmates are not only the masters of delicacy - it is also in some way a contrary band.
Under the mask of "um-pa, um-pa" rhythm in "Two Faces Of Klezzmates" we can hear two-thematic proposition of a fugue with original theme, in which the other one is a well-known melody of "Mister John" in the minor pitch. This is the top of masterly skills and also playing with the listeners. Very sublime and at the same time enjoyable "game". "Far Away From" and "Dance In The Moonlight" show " another face" - reflecting, from time to time melancholically, sometime mystical. In those pieces of music we can intently listen, with concentrated attention, to the sounds of instruments. There's no denying - the sounds proceeding from the delicate musicians' fingers - ideal, nice and warm. Maybe even too much. Looking into the proposal of Klezzmates in the categories of only and entirely Klezzmer music, just the sounds and the character of it can awake us to doubt. Here and there the typical for that kind of music "harshness" and aggressiveness appearing from unruled emotions are missing. Listening to that record, we are in contact with the whole "palette" of sensations, but still we can feel their planned impact. What is that new proposal of Klezzmates? Above all, the new - in the widespread Jewish music - quality of space and taking an opportunity out of it. Through that very clear and "bright" harmony and also melodious themes, the band managed to create - so far unheard-of on the Polish scene - album. - Magdalena Gaisek, Gazeta Wyborcza 12-10-2005