Review: Metroploitan Klezmer - Surprising Finds

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

(This review was written on July 4th before the start of shabbos but held
up due to computer failure)



Surprising Finds - Metropolitan Klezmer


The latest album from Eve Sicular's fabulous Metropolitan Klezmer, titled
"Surprising Finds", is finally here! Relased in May on the Rhythm Media
label
in the US, it is at last also available in the UK, distributed by Stern's
Music.

On "Surprising Finds", Metropolitan Klezmer yet again present an
extraordinarily polished performance, surpassing even their previous
efforts.
The sophisticated, elegant arrangements are as tight as the sensemble
itself,
as indeed one has come to expect from this band. Needless to say,
Metropolitan
Klezmer's trademark cosmopolitan blend of sounds, styles and genres graces
this album too, with a mix of traditional klezmer, Middle Eastern, swing,
Balkan, Mediterranian, even the odd echo of Dixie and other influences and
inspirations. All this is presented with the usual high energy and
sophistication.

At just over 62 1/2 minutes, "Surprising Finds" is not only generous, but
every second is filled with delight and charm. Of the twenty tracks
presented,
five were recorded live, which blend seamlessly with the studio tracks.

"Uncle Moses' Wedding Dance", an Eastern European old-style freylekh, opens
the album with archival clips of a live band from the soundtrack of a 1930s
Yiddish film drama, Uncle Moses. The transition from clip to studio
recording is handled very subtly and smoothly, and this lively dance gets
straight to your feet. Michael Hess' wonderful kanun opens "Terkisher
Navratilova" with a taksim (a traditional improvisation common to all
Middle Eastern classical traditions and widespread in klezmer until the
late 19th century C.E.), transitioning smoothly into the stately Terkisher
dance based on Naftule Brandwein's 1920s recording of "Terkisher Yale
V'yovye Tantz", here given a much more elegant and relaxed treatment. The
title is a tribute to one of the band's favourite female athletes. "Ot Azoy
Neyt A Shnayder", a folk song documented in Moshe Beregovski's Soviet
Yiddish song collection and once sung with English lyrics by Cab Calloway,
is given an irresistable swing treatment. Lionel Bart's "Pick A Pocket Or
Two" from his 1960 musical Oliver!, a tribute to its composer, receives a
driven Balkanised treatment, in keeping with the influences of Jewish
melodies that Bart refers to in this song. "Shpil Du Fidl, Shpil", aka
"Lonely Hearts Tango", from the 1936 Polish/Yiddish co-production film
Yidl mitn fidl, is a well-known Molly Picon - Abe Ellstein song.
Metropolitan
Klezmer add a unison instrumental chorus by Debra Kreisberg reflecting some
retro inspirations which works very successfully. "Harei At" is an excerpt
from a mid-1960s reel-to-reel home recording featuring Phillip Karpel and,
in the background, his grandchildren including future Metropolitan Klezmer
singer Deborah Karpel. The excerpt is from a multi-stanza'd ballad
narrating
a young man's journey through life as leading up to the taking of his
wedding
vows. Of great charm and intimacy, it adds a great touch of nostalgia. The
following three tracks make up a little Soviet Yiddish Theater Suite, the
first of which is "Soothsayer Taxim" featuring a superb taksim played on
ney, a Middle Eastern flute, by Michael Hess. This leads into "Tailor's
Sher", by Lev Pulver, one of the most esteemed musical directors of the
Soviet Yiddish theatre of the early decades of the Soviet Union. A jolly,
moderate tempo dance, it also features Hess' magical ney again. Closing
this mini-suite is "Striver's Sher, also credited to Pulver, originally
scored for a 27-piece orchestra, a livelier affair with overtones of
humour and even irony. Another excerpt from a home recording of Phillip
Karpel provides the next track, "Der Dish-Washer", the title tune from a
depression era Yiddish theatre production. "Szol a Kakas Mar", perhaps
already familiar from Metropolitan Klezmer's previous "Mosaic Persuasion"
album and Isle of Klezbos' "Greetings From The Isle Of Klezbos", comes from
both the Hungarian folk and the Hassidic tradition and is the first of the
five live tracks featured on "Surprising Finds". A contemplative extended
rhapsodic opening on Ismail Butera's accordion, taken up by Debra
Kreisberg's
alto leads into the ever livelier dance. A charming, lively khosidl-like
tune,
"Dreaming Wizard" is a Debra Kreisberg original. "Dray Shvester" by
Lithuanian-born, London-based Hebrew and Yiddish poet and political
activist
Morris Winchevsky (1856-1932) is a touching tale of three sisters, set in
the
Victorian London Jewish underworld. Another brief excerpt of Phillip
Karpel's
vocals, "Kinder Yorn", follows. "Howie's Doyna & Hora / No. 2 Freylekh" is
the second of the live tracks. The first part consists of a 1994 demo
recording by the then Greater Metropolitan Klezmer Band, which then
featured
clarinetist Howie Leess. From the opening note you instantly recognise
you're
in for something a little extra special. This segues seamlessly into a
brief
freylekh performed live at The Knitting Factory in late 2002 by the present
Metropolitan Klezmer line-up. A live medley of "Northern Doyna", featuring
accordionist Ismail Butera, "An Alter Nigun", and the Molly Picon signature
song "Abi Gezunt", follows. The latter is as fine an example of restrained,
laid-back Yiddish swing as you're likely to find anywhere. Rick Faulkner's
trombone stands out by virtue of its subtlety and of being ample testimony
to how well he fits into this line-up. "Der Milner's Trern" is a final
brief
excerpt from a recording of Phillip Karpel, followed by "Blue Doyna
Reprise",
a live accordion improv that served as an intro to "Ot Azoy Neyt A
Shnayder".
"Shadkhn Tango" was adapted from the soundtrack of a 1940 Yiddish movie,
Americaner Shadkhn (American Matchmaker) and segues into "Rumanian Medley",
both recorded live. The medley starts off with another Ismail Butera doyna
leading into a series of dances, from a stately hora to a more lively sher
and finally an almost manic dance tune. The closer, "Moses' Morning After",
like the opener presents a short clip from the soundtrack of the movie
"Uncle Moses" and thus brings things full circle, and very nicely too.

The informative liner notes by Eve Sicular include the lyrics for songs in
Yiddish, romanised Yiddish, as well as English translation, also by Ms.
Sicular.

Eve Sicular and Metropolitan Klezmer were taking some huge chances with
this
album, but are entirely vindicated by just how well these "findings" form a
nicely cohesive whole on "Surprising Finds". The best thing you can do is
put your CD player on continuous play and listen to this hugely enjoyable
album all over again straight away. Discover how much fun discovering
findings can be, and the wonderful things you can do with them with a
little
imagination.



Richard
"Renaissance Man"

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