The Klezmatics are the only klezmer band ever to win a Grammy — and for the past 40 years, they’ve done more than revive a genre. They’ve revolutionized it. Since 1986, this trailblazing New York City ensemble has fused Yiddish tradition with punk, gospel, jazz, and global rhythms, creating music that is joyful, defiant, and radically inclusive. Their pioneering cross-cultural collaborations reshaped the world music scene and inspired generations of artists. 

Now, as they mark four decades, The Klezmatics return with We Were Made for These Times — a bold, collaborative forthcoming album centered on immigration, exile, and solidarity. Written over nearly a decade since their last release, it’s their most urgent and expansive work to date. 

Produced by Grammy winner Danny Blume and recorded in one of NYC’s top studios, the album brings together immigrant voices and diasporas rooted in New York City’s cultural melting pot — a portrait of NYC’s sonic and spiritual diversity. Guest artists include La Manga (Afro-Colombian), Enver Izmaylov (Crimean Tatar jazz), Joshua Nelson and Lavender Light Gospel Choir (Black and queer Jewish gospel), Sofía Rei (Latin avant-garde), and Janis Siegel (The Manhattan Transfer). The repertoire features Klezmatics renditions of songs and texts by social justice icons including Holly Near, Angela Gabriels, Chaim Zhitlovsky, and a haunting klezmer version of Woody Guthrie’s Deportee. 

This isn’t nostalgia — it’s protest music for right now. Rooted in Yiddish, powered by global voices, and forged in solidarity, We Were Made for These Times is both a homecoming and a rallying cry. 

In 2025, The Klezmatics performed 50 shows across North America and Europe, including a major showcase at WOMEX. Their 2026 tour will premiere the new album live. As part of their 40th anniversary, they are also reissuing their landmark catalogue — including newly remastered, first-ever vinyl editions of Rhythm & Jews, Happy Joyous Hanukkah, and their Grammy-winning Wonder Wheel: Lyrics by Woody Guthrie. 

Support the journey: pre-order the album and reissues, support The Klezmatics’ archival work, book a show, and join them on tour. 

More info, music, tour calendar, social media on the official Klezmatics website.