Re: Budowitz Concert Review

[Monika Feil <mfeil...>]

I don´t know how often I´ve heard Budowitz since 1995 - surely some more than 
10 times! I heard them in several different 
formations. On the one hand it was the music that brought me into their 
concerts again and again but on the other hand also the 
vitality of their life playing and the kind of communication that Hester Lox 
described in his review. It´s a pleasure how they are 
in touch with each other. The CD´s of Budowitz are great - they are my 
favorites, but you must hear - and see - them on stage 
...!  Josh is an extraordinary creative musician and the head of the band. I 
needn´t say to you all that he is one of the best - if not 
the best - Klezmer accordion and tsimbl player in the old style and a leading 
Klezmer musicologist, too. E.g. his habit of playing every single phrase in 
countless different micro-variations makes listening more interesting and 
exciting the more 
often you have listened to him. The three hungarians, Tamás Gombai, violin, 
Zsolt Kürtösi, cello and Sándor Tóth, kontra, are 
also playing Hungarian music with each other. First of all I will say that it 
is pure fun to see Sándor playing his kontra part. He 
supports the group with his sly, warm and relaxed attention and his playing 
gives the group much energy. Zsolts cello playing is 
rough - I like that - and creative, too. He thinks very melodic without loosing 
his fundamental function and you should listen 
sometimes especially to his lines when you should have the chance to hear them 
life. Tamás is a very virtuous violin player and 
plays his part - often doubling the clarinet melody in a lower (or the same) 
octave - in a very sensitive way. When I heard last 
year that Merlin Shepherd would leave the band I was very sad - I couldn´t 
imagine that anybody could substitute for this 
exceptional virtuous player and master of the old style (and with this dry 
British humor) in a reasonable way. For me he often 
had something of a snake-charmer. I was very positively surprised when I heard 
Budowitz the first (and only) time with 
Christian Dawid. Of course his kind of playing is different to Merlins but fits 
fine to Budowitz. He is also very virtuous and from 
the first to the last note very present and in touch with the others.
You realy can feel a special intimacy between them all.
And the music is great and touching!

Budowitz is one of the bright spots in the German Klezmer landscape and I hope 
they will continue touring here when Josh is 
now based in California. I wish them great success in the US!

Monika Feil
Erlangen, Germany