Brotherhood of Brass

[elliott_simon <elliott_simon...>]

HI...I have been listening to this for several days and had to jot down 
some thoughts...I love it...this review will appear on 
allaboutjazz.com.....anyone else giving this one a listen?...would love 
to know thoughts...Ari..feel free to use for the shack...thanks..elliott

Brotherhood of Brass 
Frank London?s Klezmer Brass All Stars | Piranha 
 
The mystical high priest of New Wave Avant-Klez jazz, Frank London, has 
released an album that defies phony political barriers and exposes 
solid musical commonalties among Gypsy, Jewish and Arabic 
music. ?Brotherhood of Brass?, the second release from Frank London?s 
Klezmer Brass All Stars, is a concept album that reaches across 
multiple millennia to present a view of musical cultural inter-
relationships. For this purpose, London has enlisted the aid of two 
other brass bands, the Boban Markovic Orkestar (Serbia) and the 
Hasaballa Brass Band (Egypt). With the Klezmer Brass All Stars own 
impressive line up, the resultant melding of Jewish, Romanie and 
Moorish sounds exposes common threads that at times effect an exciting 
musical A-HA phenomenon. 

The first cut, ?Freylekhs-Cocek #5?, is from the repertoire of German 
Goldenshtayn, one of the few remaining ?old-world trained? Klezmer 
clarinetists. A Jewish freilach with a Gypsy cocek, it features Boban 
Markovic. Markovic is the pre-eminent Roma trumpet player in the world 
and ?blows them away? each year at the Guca, Serbian Brass festival. 
Clarinet and trumpets trade off and build to a fever pitch as we are 
taken back to a time when perhaps the boundaries between Jewish and 
Gypsy music were porous. On one level, these and the four other 
Markovic/London collaborations are making a politico-historical 
statement but on another level, when you hear them, you forget about 
politics and history and just dance. For that is what this music really 
is; happy celebratory dance music. From Serbia to Cairo to New York 
City?s Lower East Side, people who hear this will be dancing. Of these 
five, ?Lieberman Funky Freylekhs? and ?Doin the Oriental? are 
standouts. For the former, a funky freilach beat is pumped out by Mark 
Rubin on the bass helicon, whose playing is exceptional throughout the 
entire CD. ?Doin? the Oriental? could be called the signature piece of 
the album. It is ?from the trans-national repetoire? and is in two 
parts. Part 1 sets up with a trumpet doina as in Doina the Oriental and 
Part 2 does the oriental with a melding of Gypsy/Jewish jazz that is 
very sweet. 

A drawback is the lack of credits as to who played which horn on what 
cut. You sit and think; ?Wow that solo was hot, was that Frank or 
Boban?? but then again, maybe that is the point. A-HA. This is a CD 
chocked full of music, 16 songs with a surprise 17th that is 
uncredited, for over 65 minutes of listening, make that dancing. The 
straight ahead Klezmer like ?Wedding in Crown Heights?, ?Watts-Hoffman 
Special?, ?Fast Hasidic Nign? and ?A Freylekhs Nokh Dem Khuppah? 
evidence that the Brass All Stars continue to be the premier big brass 
Klez band. These selections pay homage to Klezmer legends like Harry 
Kandel and xylophonist Jack Hoffman, whose granddaughter Susan Sandler 
plays a solid second trumpet with the All-Stars. The band is a who?s 
who of Klez-jazz and feature current or former members of the 
Klezmatics, Klezmer Conservatory Band and Hasidic New Wave. 

As ?Nomen Est Omen (The name is a sign)? alludes, Gypsy is 
etymologically related to Egypt and Abd Ehamid Kamel on metal clarinet 
takes the stage with his Hasaballa Brass Band on ?Imayel Ya Khail? 
and ?Shish Kebab?. The blending of a very Arabic/Moorish sounding 
clarinet and percussion with a Klez/jazz rhythm makes you stop and take 
notice. Kamel is clearly a very accomplished musician who plays 
the ?Hasaballa? style. This style of Egyptian music is named for 
Hasaballa, who fronted a brass band of retired army musicians. They 
would play for weddings, pilgrimages to Mecca, the transfer of a brides 
clothing to her new home and any other occasion that called for a large 
amount of noise. They were playing mid eastern quartertone songs on 
army brass instruments and were looked down upon by other Egyptian 
musicians. A-HA. This is a fun CD that makes you both think and dance. 
You can?t really ask for more.
 

---------------------- jewish-music (at) shamash(dot)org ---------------------+