Yiddish for Travelers

Amazon.com
These folks offer a spirited but respectful look at the klezmer tradition as it traveled across Asia Minor, Eastern Europe, and into the Americas (and back). Opening with a medley of a classic hora and a lively show tune by one of the fathers of American klezmer, Dave Tarras, the band shows energy and topnotch playing skills, and an openness to new ideas that never mows over the feel of the original. The mix of instruments is completely modern. Metropolitan Klezmer mix old and new Middle Eastern instruments like bendir and European transplants violin and clarinet with the more modern tools of accordion, upright bass, and drum kit to create a blurred line between ancient and contemporary. They combine and contrast tunes, playing the same song in the style of two or more different places, to give the listener an idea of how the music has traveled. Which is not to imply this is a scholarly performance. Metropolitan Klezmer play with verve and offer great music on this journey. --Louis Gibson

Tracks:

Nokh A Gleyzl Vayn
C Minor Bulgar
Fifth Floor Khosidl
Mangiko/Yoshke Fort Avek
Der Feter Max's Bulgar
Libes Shmertsn
Sheyn Vi Di Levone
Yosl, Yosl
Farlangen
Der Gasn Nigun
Ken O'Hara Freylekh
Russian Sher
Fiselekh
Der Yidisher Soldat In Di Trenches
Rozhinkes Mit Mandlen
Metropolitan Raisins
Oy Tate
Zhok A La Dave
Steve's Bar Mitzve
Ismail's Doyna
Bessarabian Hora
Kostakowsky Sirba
Volokh
Der Miropoler Rebe's Nigun & Dybbuk March

Amazon.com

These folks offer a spirited but respectful look at the klezmer tradition as it traveled across Asia Minor, Eastern Europe, and into the Americas (and back). Opening with a medley of a classic hora and a lively show tune by one of the fathers of American klezmer, Dave Tarras, the band shows energy and topnotch playing skills, and an openness to new ideas that never mows over the feel of the original. The mix of instruments is completely modern. Metropolitan Klezmer mix old and new Middle Eastern instruments like bendir and European transplants violin and clarinet with the more modern tools of accordion, upright bass, and drum kit to create a blurred line between ancient and contemporary. They combine and contrast tunes, playing the same song in the style of two or more different places, to give the listener an idea of how the music has traveled. Which is not to imply this is a scholarly performance. Metropolitan Klezmer play with verve and offer great music on this journey. --Louis Gibson

Customer Reviews:

Cosmopolitan Klezmer!.......2003-04-25

Metropolitan Klezmer bring eclecticism on a grand scale to small to medium band klezmer, presenting a truly cosmopolitan blend of traditional klezmer tunes, Chassidic nigunim and khosidls, Yiddish song, Balkan and Greek and Sephardic elements, as well as jazz. The traditional is carefully and effectively blended with the contemporary, the old with the new. The arrangements on "Yiddish For Travelers" are outstanding, even elegant.

Metropolitan Klezmer prove themselves an incredibly tight and versatile band, with impeccable musicianship and technical mastery. This is complemented by great exuberance and flair.

Eclecticism and cosmopolitanism also manifest themselves in the instrumental palette of Metropolitan Klezmer. Violinist Michael Hess also "doubles" on kanun (Middle Eastern zither) and ney (an end-blown Middle Eastern reed flute) as well as viola, and acquits himself admirably on all of them. Eve Sicular, founder and leader of Metropolitan Klezmer, reveals herself to be an
outstanding drummer, with some very fine and highly inventive drumming, and also plays frame drums in addition to her conventional kit. Accordionist Ismael Butera doubles on bendir (also a type of frame drum) also. Steve Elson switches between Bb clarinet, bass clarinet, soprano and tenor sax, and flute. Bassist Dave Hofstra also doubles on tuba. The team is completed by Deborah Karpel, vocal, and Pam Fleming on trumpet and flugelhorn.

"Yiddish For Travelers" is an incredibly tight album, the tracks being consistently excellent throughout and forming a nicely cohesive whole. This is music with heart, soul and ear, for heart, soul and ear, and for the feet as well. "Mangiko/Yoshke Fort Avek" combines two versions of the same tune, shared by two different traditions. First, a rendition in the Greek Rebetica style, then in the Ashkenazic style of Eastern Europe. Both share
the same highly effective and simple, elegant instrumentation of kanun, accordion, bass and drums. Michael Hess excels on kanun here and only makes one wish this instrument with its seductive sound had been used more widely. On "Sheyn vi di Levone", Deborah Karpel shows her mettle as an excellent Yiddish singer, superbly offset by Steve Elson's swinging, jazzy soprano sax,
which again surfaces, this time to lead, to superb effect on "Yosl, Yosl". The almost obligatory favourite, "Der Gasn Nigun", trades off leads among clarinet, trumpet, viola, and accordion, interspersed with fine ensemble playing and solidly grounded by gorgeous tuba playing. "Metropolitan Raisins" is a brilliant jazz rendition of Abraham ("Father of the Yiddish Theatre")Goldfaden's classic lullaby "Rozhinkes Mit Mandlen" (a straight rendition of which precedes the former) from his 1880 operetta, Shulamis. This baby rocks! Steve Elson's fine tenor sax makes you wish for an extended improv here. The next track, "Oy Tate", a khosidl or chassidic tune, contrasts with a superbly elegant Middle Eastern arrangement and likewise instrumentation of ney, bass and bendir. Again, one is left to wish for more of Michael Hess' ney! "Der Miropoler Rebe's Nigun & Dybbuk March", the former based on a chassidic meditative tune intended to induce an ecstatic state and sense of connection to the Creator, closes the album with a wonderful treat in the form of a sublime bass clarinet, and what's more, a bass clarinet lead, complemented by a restrained voiceless chorus in the first part of this track.

The liner notes are very informative, and include the lyrics for songs in Yiddish, romanised Yiddish, as well as English translation by Eve Sicular. What's more, the notes for each track also include full listing of personnel as well as instrumentation.

Metropolitan Klezmer excel on this their debut album. It is hugely enjoyable.

Authentic Klezmer music to dance to.......1999-05-20

If there is a line usually drawn between the scholarly type of klezmer which features older melodies and traditional instrumentation and the leading edge klezmer played by groups who see it as a starting point for blending into other genres, Metropolitan Klezmer is one of the few groups that can stand in the middle of the divide and quietly dominate that space.

Yiddish for Travelers is a witty, tightly performed collection of klezmer pieces that doesn't pretend to be anything but klezmer. Conversely, Metropolitan Klezmer's mastery of the genre is not a historical period piece to be placed in Smithsonian archives; it is animated dance music that defies feet to be still.

The only thing better than hearing the CD is hearing the band live. Get your dancing shoes ON!

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