DBK @ Tonic 107

[r l reid <ro...>]

Last weekend was sort of an unplanned yiddish msuic festival in New York.
Lots going on and I sure couldn't do it all.  Svigals and Ruschevsky
made their second performance in NYC in as many weeks - missed it.
Andy Statman and band played at Boyaner - missed it.  I think Yugntruf 
had a Yiddish-Tog - missed it. No, I threw my lot in with Di Bostoner Klezmer,
and I'm glad I did.

Especially with the competition for the same time and demographic, it
was a typical Tonic 107 audience - small but high quality.  A few folks
from the neighborhood, Jewish musicians local and from out of town, friends,
family, local Yiddishists.   I know I've whined about small audiences
at Tonic, but it does create a heimish intimacy that I do enjoy.

Now, I'm usually a "Jews Without Horns" kind of guy.  I'm partial
to bowed strings, flutes, tsimbls and other quiet instruments.  And
DBK's current lineup is a clarinet (Dobe Ressler), trombone (Brian Bender), 
and accordian (Terry Traub, who I first met playing Scottish music at
the Canadian American Club in Boston, but that's a whole other story).
But they made me love thier instrumentation.

It's clear these folks are used to playing together.  They are tight, they
are good, they play with soul.  They are not hip or edgy, but play
with a sweet intensity.  Each is an amazing musician in their own right
and they come together well.

I was glad to hear, in addition to a lot of the old time tunes, a modern
simcha set - Od Yishomo etc.  They did it well and I would have danced
if my ankle did not hurt (once again, the dancers were only folks over
the age of 80).  I personally wish we could hear more of this music played
by "our" klezmer bands, giving it a different take from the Neshama Orchestra
or the one man bands that are now an epidemic.

Brian Bender - who also put down his trombone for his medodica at one 
point - led a couple of his own compositions which I enjoyed very much.

I was hoping to hear Terry play yiddish fiddle, beyond the secund he
played for one tune, but it wasn't to be.

The only down side is - well - can't the trombone makers come up with a
way to not let the horn dribble spit all the time - YECH!  Man, don't
sit in the first row!

It was a lovely afternoon and I look forward to hearing them again and
again, and hopefully some more of Brian's compositions as well.  Thanks
for trekking down here, guys!

roger reid
-- 
r l reid        ruvy (at) tsimbl(dot)com


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