Brave Old World in Boston

[Ari Davidow <ari...>]

BRAVE OLD WORLD played at Boston's New England Conservatory of
Music last night, to great acclaim and wonder. Although regular
bassist Stu Brotman was not present, he was ably replaced by Paul
Morrisset of the Klezmatics (and hard to imagine a more
appropriate replacement, if replacement was necessary).

I hadn't seen the band since around the time of their most
recent (a new album is due in the fall) recording, the 
essential, "Beyond the Pale," several years ago.

The band plays a klezmer music that is so entirely grounded in
the present, so intensely evolved from the music as it was, and
yet so clearly, obviously, entirely klezmer that one could not
even separate out many of the influences: "oh, this sounds a bit
jazzy, but ... it isn't jazz, it's, hmmm, oh, it =is= klezmer."

Although the band doesn't like to play loud (as Alan Bern,
keyboardist and musical director explained later), this isn't the
same as playing without an abundance of joy and energy. In fact,
at one point, when Bern was doing a solo series of accordion
improvisations--he'd explore for a few minutes, then hit a
familiar tune, explore some more, and then, as the audience was
caught up and clapping time we noticed Michael Alpert's foot
bouncing up and down as he sat on stage, and next thing you knew,
Alpert is unable to contain himself, dancing around on stage as
though at a wedding, his feet moving in complex patterns on the
floor, at one point, placing his hands on Bern's shoulders as
he dances and Bern continues to play, the perfect point and
counterpoint, music and dance, essence of klezmer. It was a
wonderful night.

Most often, the interplay was more complex. Bern, reed-player
Kurt Bjorling, Alpert, and the absent Brotman have been playing
klezmer for decades each, and listening and watching them
stand on the stage, riffing off each other and pushing each
other further and further was special.

Embodying that intensity and integration and being-here-nowness
perfectly, the band closed with a gospel-ish (complete with
wonderful pounding piano by Bern) version of "Klaybt Zikh
Tsunoyf" (Gather Together) from their first album, Klezmer Music.



Ari Davidow
ari (at) ivritype(dot)com
http://www.ivritype.com/