new Yiddish music

[Ari Davidow <ari...>]

In my reviews of Josh Waletzky's album, and then even more so when I talk about 
Mikveh, I find myself talking about new Yiddish music as the real cutting edge 
in popular Jewish music.

This first manifested itself for me in an old Geduldig and Thimann album I 
reviewed several years ago, in which participants ranged from Andy Statman to 
Elliot Sharp, but is very sharply highlighted in the the amazing sounds on 
Waletzky's album--very modern, and very, very much in the Yiddish folk 
tradition at the same time; and then even moreso on the Mikveh CD, where the 
range of musical influences is broader, and lyrics are occasionally sung in 
English.

To my mind, this forms an interesting balance to the (often) wonderful 
instrumental new Jewish music, often having nothing to do with klezmer, that is 
coming out of the Tzadik label, and occasionally other sources.

Anyone have any thoughts about this? For those who have heard Mikveh, or 
Waletzky's "crossing the shadows," what are your thoughts?

ari

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