Isle of Klezbos Review

[Dick Rosenberg <drosenberg...>]

Anybody who loves Klezmer, was in Boston last night, and who didn't come
to the Loker Commons Coffee House in the basement of Memorial Hall at
Harvard last night to hear the Isle of Klezbos should be forced to go to
bed without supper, or call their mother every night for two weeks, or
some such punishment. The all-women band known as the Isle of Klezbos,
the radical feminist wing of the Metropolitan Klezmer Band, lit up the
evening with their sterling musicianship. Playing before a too small but
very enthusiastic crowd in the cozy confines of Loker Commons, this
group showed that they know how to both get at the heart of
Klezmer/Yiddish Theatre music and simultaneously wail.

Consisting of the beguiling Deborah Karpel on vocals, the jovial Pam
Fleming on trumpet and flugelhorn, the introspective Debra Kreisberg on
clarinet and alto sax, the enigmatic Rachel Garniez on accordion, the
rock-steady Catherine Popper on bass and the ebullient Eve Sicular
fronting (and backing) the band and playing drums, the Isle of Klezbos
put on an all too short two sets of very entertaining music. A group
that is not particularly trying to blaze new paths in Klezmer music, but
rather perform the tried and true in a very musical and satisfying
manner, the I of K played the well known Klezmer "standards", like the
tunes of Brandwine, the Epstein Brothers and the Yiddish theatre in a
very heart felt way. All 6 are strong musicians and their music together
is tastefully arranged yet not overly so. Of particular interest to me
is that when Fleming and Kreisberg solo on Yiddish Swing tunes they are
not afraid to let their obvious love for more modern jazz show through. 

Highlights of their performance to this listener were "Yossel, Yossel",
"Mayn Rue Plats" (featuring a haunting flugelhorn solo by Pam Fleming),
"Sheyn Vi Di Levone", "Yiddisher Shmerz" and the Klezmer tune that the
KCB calls "The Epsteins" (even though Eve informed us that the Epstein
Brothers actually had a different tune that they called "The Epsteins"
and that the tune the KCB made famous as "The Epsteins" was actually
called Bulgar in C Minor by the Epstein Brothers).

They will be performing extensively in New York and New England in the
near future. Make sure that when they come to your neck of the woods you
don't have to be sent to bed without supper.

Dick Rosenberg
>-----Original Message-----
>From:  SICULAR (at) aol(dot)com [SMTP:SICULAR (at) aol(dot)com]
>Sent:  Wednesday, July 05, 2000 4:25 PM
>To:    World music from a Jewish slant
>Subject:       ISLE OF KLEZBOS on the road: New England & Hudson Valley, NY
>
>*ISLE OF KLEZBOS* New England/Hudson Valley, NY Mini-Tour:
>"This all-female powerhouse klezmer sextet combines folk, swing, tango, 
>trance, & dance with traditional Yiddish music... These women will make you 
>shake your tushies."  -  THE VILLAGE VOICE
>"A super-group" - George Robinson, THE JEWISH WEEK
>Thanks for spreading the word!  See our website for band bio's & CD info ...
>
>*Wed, 7/12: Cambridge MA, Harvard University, Memorial Hall, dnstairs @Loker 
>Commons Coffeehouse, 8pm  info (617)496-4595  www.fas.harvard.edu/~memhall 
>Free & open to the public!!
>
>*Thur, 7/13: National Yiddish Book Center, Amherst MA (campus of Hampshire 
>College), 7:45pm   info (413) 256-4900 & www.bikher.org    
>Celebrating the final evening of the NYBC Summer Program in Yiddish 
>Culture... at the lovely outdoor amphitheater if weather permits
>
>*Fri, 7/14: The Rosendale Cafe, 434 Main St, Rosendale NY (betw Woodstock & 
>New Paltz)  Two sets starting at 9pm ... great vegetarian food; $10 music 
>charge 
>info (914) 658-9048  & www.hvmusic.com  [Cafe pages]
>
>& looking ahead:   *Thurs, Sept 21: "Mosaic Persuasion" CD release party
>double bill with Metropolitan Klezmer! ... at Makor*
>35 W. 67th St, NYC  *food fare now available from 6pm (Mediterranean/kosher)
>8:30pm Isle of Klezbos, 9:30pm Metropolitan Klezmer  both for $12!
>info (212) 601-1000 & www.makor.org
>
>Pam Fleming:        trumpet & flugelhorn
>Rachelle Garniez:   accordion & harmony vocals
>Deborah Karpel: vocals
>Debra Kreisberg:    clarinet & alto sax
>Catherine Popper:   bass
>Eve Sicular:        drums
>
>Band bio's & info at <www.metropolitanklezmer.com> ... "Mosaic Persuasion" 
>CD's available at all shows and via <www.CDBaby.com>, Hear's Music: 
>800/501-DISC & many other outlets (e-mail sicular (at) aol(dot)com for 
>details).  Hope
>to see you soon!  
>
>ISLE OF KLEZBOS
>151 First Avenue #145, NYC  10003  USA     tel: 212/475-4544 
>www.metropolitanklezmer.com
>
>---------------------- jewish-music (at) shamash(dot)org ---------------------+
>