Review: Yiddish for Travelers/Metropolitan Klezmer

[R.A.S. <richards...>]

Metropolitan Klezmer's debut CD album, "Yiddish For Travelers", was first
released in 1998 and re-issued in 2000 on the Rhythm Media label.
Availability is fairly widespread - check out
http://www.metropolitanklezmer.com/order.html , or Rainlore's World of
Music in about 24 hrs time when the review should be up (
http://www.rainlore.demon.co.uk/WorldOfMusic.html ).

If Maxwell Street Klezmer Band brought eclecticism on a grand scale to big
band klezmer music, then Metropolitan Klezmer does the same to small to
medium band klezmer, in its very own distinct way. Metropolitan Klezmer
presents a truly cosmopolitan blend of traditional klezmer tunes, Chassidic
nigunim and khosidls, Yiddish song, Balkan and Greek and Sephardic
elements, as well as jazz. The traditional is blended very carefully and
effectively with the contemporary, the old with the new. The arrangements
on "Yiddish For Travelers", credited variously to individual band members
or several, or the band itself, are outstanding, even elegant, and in spite
of their varying authorship remarkably cohesive.

Metropolitan Klezmer prove themselves an incredibly versatile band on
"Yiddish For Travelers", aided perhaps in part by the very wide-ranging
musical backgrounds of the members, which span Cajun and zydeco to jazz and
classical, including opera. The musicianship is impeccable, technical
mastery is taken for granted, and everybody is evidently very well attuned
to one another as an ensemble. The band not only take great pride in what
they do and doing it with excellence, but also do so with great exuberance
and flair.

Eve Sicular, the founder and leader of Metropolitan Klezmer, reveals
herself to be an outstanding drummer, with some very fine and highly
inventive drumming (and it must be admitted here that as a rule, in most
klezmer music, drummers are usually anywhere from adequate to perfectly
competent, but are rarely if ever given much of a chance to shine). Yet at
the same time, she shows sufficient restraint to not dominate and get in
the way of the music. This is a very difficult, delicate balance to
achieve, particularly where the bandleader happens to be the drummer, but
Ms. Sicular achieves it with seeming great ease and certainly style.

Eclecticism and cosmopolitanism also manifest themselves in the
instrumental palette of Metropolitan Klezmer. Violinist Michael Hess also
"doubles" on kanun (also transliterated as qanun, a Middle Eastern zither)
and ney (an end-blown Middle Eastern reed flute) as well as viola, and
acquits himself admirably on all of them. Eve Sicular plays frame drums in
addition to her conventional kit. Accordionist Ismael Butera doubles on
bendir (also a type of frame drum) also. Steve Elson switches between Bb
clarinet, bass clarinet, soprano and tenor sax, and flute. Bassist Dave
Hofstra also doubles on tuba. The team is completed by Deborah Karpel,
vocal, and Pam Fleming on trumpet and flugelhorn.

"Yiddish For Travelers" is an incredibly tight album, the tracks being
consistently excellent throughout and forming a nicely cohesive whole. This
is music with heart, soul and ear, for heart, soul and ear, and for the
feet as well. While there isn't a single weak track, certain highlights
bear pointing out. "Mangiko/Yoshke Fort Avek" combines two versions of the
same tune, shared by two different traditions. First, a rendition in the
Greek Rebetica style, then in the Ashkenazic style of Eastern Europe. Both
share the same highly effective and simple, elegant instrumentation of
kanun, accordion, bass and drums. Michael Hess excels on kanun here and
only makes one wish this instrument with its seductive sound had been used
more widely. On "Sheyn vi di Levone", Deborah Karpel shows her mettle as an
excellent Yiddish singer, superbly offset by Steve Elson's swinging, jazzy
soprano sax, which again surfaces, this time to lead, to superb effect on
"Yosl, Yosl". The almost obligatory favourite, "Der Gasn Nigun", trades off
leads among clarinet, trumpet, viola, and accordion, interspersed with fine
ensemble playing and solidly grounded by gorgeous tuba playing.
"Metropolitan Raisins" is a brilliant jazz rendition of Abraham ("Father of
the Yiddish Theatre") Goldfaden's classic lullaby "Rozhinkes Mit Mandlen"
(a straight rendition of which precedes the former) from his 1880 operetta,
Shulamis. This baby rocks! Steve Elson's fine tenor sax makes you wish for
an extended improv here. The next track, "Oy Tate", a khosidl or chassidic
tune, contrasts with a superbly elegant Middle Eastern arrangement and
likewise instrumentation of ney, bass and bendir. Again, one is left to
wish for more of Michael Hess' ney! "Der Miropoler Rebe's Nigun & Dybbuk
March", the former based on a chassidic meditative tune intended to induce
an ecstatic state and sense of connection to the Creator, closes the album
with a wonderful treat in the form of a sublime bass clarinet, and what's
more, a bass clarinet lead, complemented by a restrained voiceless chorus
in the first part of this track.

The liner notes are very informative, and include the lyrics for songs in
Yiddish, romanised Yiddish, as well as English translation by Eve Sicular.
What's more, the notes for each track also include full listing of
personnel as well as instrumentation.

Metropolitan Klezmer excel on their debut album, "Yiddish For Travelers".
It is hugely enjoyable, and I hardly know how I got by without it for so
long!


Richard
(Renaissance Man)

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