Toronto's Flying Bulgars

[Ari Davidow <jmusic...>]

So, I'm back from Toronto where I spent some time walking in the hills and
escarpments of Ontario, and some time serving up turkey for the First
Nations, and some very pleasant time listening to a cassette by the local
klezmer band: The Flying Bulgar Klezmer Band. The recording I have came
out in 1990. It was featured at all of the local music emporia, so I
assume that the band has some local following. In fact, given Toronto's
status as the most culturally diverse city on earth, it comes as no
surprise to see this, as well as other fun ethnic albums, featured
wherever I went. (By the way, for Canadian participants in jewish-music,
the HMV chain in Canada carries a nice selection of Israeli music, as well
as klez and Jewish religious music.)

This is a fun album. Even the cover is colorful and fun. The band consists
of a fairly traditional ensemble: trumpet, bass, piano/accordion, violin,
clarinet, plus drums and a vocalist. (Most of the music is instrumental,
however.) The music is relatively traditional and exceptionally lively.
This is a group of very, very good musicians who obviously have a lot of
fun playing together. The only name I recognized is that of the ubiquitous
Anne Lederman, who also appears on several Kate and Anna McGarrigle
albums, and who recently put out an album of Canadian folk music
(including klez), backed, in part, by the Flying Bulgars.

Musically, the album is primarily traditionalist (using the word
guardedly, because they do stretch out wonderfully on occasion--an utterly
ribald "Der Rebbe Elimelech," and a jazzified "Bay'm Rebbe's Suda" that
becomes "On Sunday the Rebbe Stretched Out.") This is the sort of band
that makes a grand introduction to klez, but I think it will be enjoyed by
anyone who likes any form of klezmer.

If you can't find the album outside of Toronto (I never did), you can
write:
     Flying Bulgar Recordings
     25 Delaware Ave.,
     Toronto, ON M6H 2S8
     CANADA
If anyone does write, and gets details on availability, do please post
them here.

Before I end, I should also mention Anne Lederman's recent album (1991),
"Not a mark in this world." This is a collection of Canadian folksongs
from a wide variety of Canadian traditions. Of particular interest is
"Schmulik Gavrulik," a wonderful Yiddish song originally by I. Reingold,
and published in der Forverts in 1897. It has a lovely sting about class
distinctions in der goldene medine.

In the liner notes, she writes: "Our songwriters are ... writing in
Inuktituk, Ojibwa, Cree, Dene, Abenaki, Montagnais, Mohawk, and Micmac,
French, Gaelic, Ukrainian, Roumainian, Hungairan, Yiddish, Portuguese,
Finnish, Latvian, Norwegian, Polish and Lithuanian, Chilean and yes, even
in English, to name only a few. They are cultural treasures who should be
encouraged and supported by all of us, whether singing in an arena, a bar,
or in someone's kitchen." Amen.

I got my copy at Down Home Music, in El Cerrito, CA, last year, so there
is hope that it will show up in folk emporia elsewhere. It's distributed
by the Vancouver Folk Music Festival folks (wonderful folks!):
     Vancouver Folk Music Festival
     3271 Main St.,
     Vancouver, BC V5V 3M6
      CANADA

P.S. Almost forgot, but discographers will note that the Flying Bulgar
album features "Alle Brider," a song also covered by the Klezmatics on
their first album, "Shvaygn=Toyt," and like the Klezmatics, has not
forgotten to singabout "alle shwester," as well--and adds some GREAT
horns.

ari
jmusic (at) israel(dot)nysernet(dot)org

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