Two Reviews of Maxwell St. Klezmer Band's New CD

[MaxwellSt <MaxwellSt...>]

....Both Tarras’ and Schwartz’ arrangements appear on “Old Roots New 
World," 
the latest from Chicago’s own Maxwell Street Klezmer Band. This high-sprited 
ensemble, bursting at over a dozen members, is also bursting with verve, wit, 
and talent. “Old Roots" also features Yiddish theater classics— with the 
Bette Midler-like sound of Kimber Leigh Nussbaum filling in for Molly Picon—
and original compositions, like the ambitious, 17-minute suite “Klezmer 
Rhapsody." The band’s founder, Lori Lippitz and Nussbaum to channel the a 
Barry Sisters on a cheeky “Chiribim," and the rakish Alex Koffman is a 
stand-out on violin. The sound is big—Chicago may soon be too small to hold 
it.
-JUF News, December 2002 (www.juf.org)
    
Almost anything one writes about klezmer music sounds a bit serious. 
Originating from Eastern Europe, klezmer, or Jewish folk music, features 
clarinet and fiddle, but can also include tuba, trumpet, saxophone, flute, 
piano, percussion, and vocals. This information, however, fails to convey how 
much fun a group like the Maxwell Street Klezmer Band can be. Eclectic and 
occasionally outrageous, the 17-member band is bursting at the buttons with 
intensity. With bouncy instrumentals like "A Lively Honga" and happy vocals 
like "Play, Fiddle, Play/Yidl With the Fiddle," <A 
HREF="http://www.artistdirect.com/store/artist/album/0,,1727949,00.html";>Old 
Roots New World</A> reminds 
one of a cross between <A 
HREF="http://www.artistdirect.com/music/artist/card/0,,495624,00.html";>John 
Philip Sousa</A> and cabaret. Kimber Leigh Nussbaum 
handles most of the vocals and her theatrical style on pieces like 
"Congratulations, Bride and Groom" captures the joyful spirit of a wedding 
celebration. Violinist Alex Koffman has done a fine job of providing lively 
arrangements for many of these songs and instrumentals, which must have been 
quite a task with all the musicians involved. The band does have a serious 
side, though it's easy to overlook it amidst so much excitement. A quiet, 
reflective "Leah's Saraband" crosses folk and classical traditions, while the 
lyric of "Springtime" recalls the Holocaust and how one woman attempts to 
continue with her life after the murder of her husband. The album ends with 
the ambitious "Klezmer Rhapsody for Violin," a 17-minute instrumental with 
multiple phases ranging from ecstatic to thoughtful. With <A 
HREF="http://www.artistdirect.com/store/artist/album/0,,1727949,00.html";>Old 
Roots New World</A>
, the Maxwell Street Klezmer Band deliver an album that captures the band's 
abundant energy and versatility.
~ Ronnie D. Lankford, Jr., All Music Guide