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February 10, 2012
Lisa M. Krieger: Man with defibrillator demands access to his own heart's information
David G. Savage: Why activists may not be in a hurry to have High Court rule on alternative marriage
February 9, 2012
Laura McMullen: 10 Least Expensive Public Schools for Out-of-State Students
Kimberly Palmer: How to actually enjoy -- relaxing, financially -- your vacation
February 8, 2012
Warren Richey: Why momentous Prop. 8 ruling might not satisfy gay-rights groups
Menachem Wecker: Though Controversial, LL.M.'s Can Lead to Specialized Legal Jobs
The Kosher Gourmet byDana Velden: Going to the bother of making soup? You know it better be good. This CREAM OF TOMATO SOUP certainly is! And it's a cinch to make, too (Includes techinques and serving secrets)
February 7, 2012
Frank J. Gaffney, Jr.: Caught off-guard? President's Super Bowl interview with Matt Lauer gives those who need a reason not to vote for him, a darn good one
Suzanne Bohan: Leaping lizards! Tiny reptiles advancing robot design
February 6, 2012
Jonathan Tobin: Iran Threatens Israel With Destruction, But the New York Times Doesn't Hear It
Jeffrey Fleishman: In newly democratic Egypt, tens of democracy activists jailed, to stand trial; their groups are 'threatening the stability of the homeland'
Julie Deardorff : Researchers say antioxidants may not be that effective and could do more harm than good
Mark Clayton: How did Anonymous hackers eavesdrop on FBI and Scotland Yard?
February 3, 2012
Edmund Sanders : Israeli official says Iran is creating missile that could reach East Coast of US
Victoria Kim: Immigrant-smuggling ring used black drivers to avoid racial profiling
February 2, 2012
Jim Carney: Wrong number call may have saved her life
Reza Kahlili : Ex-CIA spy in Iran's Revolutionary Guard: What Obama doesn't grasp about striking deals with Tehran
Tina Susman: For woodchuck rescuer, every day is Groundhog Day
February 1, 2012
Brian Bennett: US officials see increasing threat of domestic attack from Iran
Emily Brandon: How to Take Advantage of New 401(k) Fee Disclosures
January 31, 2012
January 30, 2012
Paul Richter and Ramin Mostaghim: Misreading Teheran's limits -- deadly and economically devastating as they may be -- is a risk administration, Europe seem willing to take
Suzanne Bohan: Warning: Nap-deprived tots missing more than sleep, study finds
Meg Handley: Banks Revamping Rewards Programs to Woo Customers
January 27, 2012
Caroline B. Glick: Obama: Of course I intend to prevent a nuclear holocaust . . . in a few months
Yochonon Donn: In liberal New York City, fervently-Orthodox Jews may soon be getting a district to call their own
Jeannine Stein: An inflated ego and thinking you're 'all that' doesn't just make others sick of you, it can make you ill
Katy Hopkins: New budget rules may affect how much money you get for college
January 26, 2012
Ed Koch: To the New York Times, calling for the murder of Jews by those capable of having their incitement taken seriously isn't news
Jeannine Stein: Mental illness struck one in five U.S. adults in 2010: Report
January 25, 2012
Richard Simon: House passes two bills endorsing the use of religious symbols at military memorials
Fred Weir: Putin: Multiethnic Russia cannot survive as a US-style 'melting pot'; must find its own way
Susan Johnston: 5 Sneaky Coupon Strategies Consumers Should Watch Out For
January 24, 2012
Carol Clark: The price of your soul: How your brain decides whether to 'sell out'
Caroline B. Glick: America lost most in 'Arab Spring'. Sadly, many voters still don't grasp the extent
Warren Richey: Drug criminal scores win in GPS ruling from conservative-leaning high court
Erika Bolstad: Black conservatives gather to talk about gaining strength
January 23, 2012
Melissa Dribben: Jewish voters to play a key role in Florida's Republican primary
Jordan Rau: In quest to grow, Catholic hospital system will announce this morning its break from church
Ali Safi: U.S. envoy gives Taliban terms for peace talks
January 19, 2012
January 18, 2012
January 17, 2012
Frank J. Gaffney Jr.: No-kidding red lines: U.S. response to an Iranian nuke may be bluster, but Israel's won't be
David G. Savage: They sued their principals after slandering them online --- now the cases are headed to the Supreme Court
David Francis: Where to Invest in 2012: With stocks expected to rebound, opportunity abounds for investors
January 13, 2012
Ben Lynfield: Israeli lawmakers move to annex Jewish Judea, one museum at a time
Alexia Elejalde-Ruiz: Thriving through touch: Gentle massage helps older people with low mobility improve in mind and body
January 12, 2012
Warren Richey: Landmark Supreme Court ruling a 'resounding win' for religious groups
Warren Richey: Supreme Court says no to new rule on eyewitness testimony
John Fauber : Statins found to raise diabetes risk in postmenopausal women
Katy Hopkins : Consider This Before You Pay for an Online Degree
The Kosher Gourmet by Joseph Erdos: This mushroom and barley soup has an intense -- almost nutty -- flavor that mixes robust with Middle East. It has creaminess without cream
January 11, 2012
Shari Roan: Millions of atrial fibrillation sufferers at risk for devastating, but preventable, stroke
Tom Hussain: Pakistan -- recipient of more than $21 billion in civilian and military aid -- speeds pursuit of Iranian pipeline, defying US
David G. Savage: High court signals it won't be loosening TV's 'indecency' rules
Stephen Ceasar: Oklahoma's Islamic law amendment can't go into effect, court rules
January 10, 2012
Reza Kahlili: From an ex-CIA spy: US must exploit new split in Iran's Revolutionary Guard
Karen Kaplan: Study: Nicotine replacement products ineffective when used in real-life situations
January 9, 2012
Michael Doyle: Put through legal hell over dream home, couple fought back hard --- all the way to Supreme Court
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Jewish World Review
April 6, 2005
/26 Adar II, 5765
Old, new, borrowed... and jazzy
By Paul Wieder
Nine new Klezmer CDs
http://www.jewishworldreview.com |
The Jewish wedding music known as Klezmer has traveled, evolved and interacted with many other genres without losing its distinctive Jewish "ta'am," or flavor. Many new releases explore klezmer's ongoing journey:
Yikhes: Early Klezmer Recordings (1911-1913) "Yikhes" means "lineage." And here is an hour's worth of yikhes, tracing the journey klezmer and its practitioners made from the Old Country to the New World. A third of the 18 tracks feature Naftule Brandwein's incomparable clarinet; the rest includes luminaries from Abe Schwartz to Dave Tarras. The recording quality is surprisingly solid, and the music still sounds innovative nearly a century later.
Sandra Layman: Little Blackbird The subtitle illustrates the variety offered here: "Klezmer, Romanian, Greek, Turkish, and Hungarian music." Layman's quartet- her sprightly violin, two guitars, and a quick-witted cimbalom- ranges through 35 live songs and medleys. Fewer than half of the songs are klezmer or Chasidic in origin, but placing them in the context of their neighboring musics is enjoyably educational. It is especially interesting is to hear how the modes of Asia Minor have affected klezmer, often thought of as primarily Eastern European.
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The Burning Bush: Music of the Old Jewish World Britain's leading klezmer ensemble also dabbles in those forms outside klezmer that inform it. In order to recreate the music of Turkey, Morocco, and Greece, they incorporate both klezmer and Mizrachi instruments. Violinist Lucie Skeaping sings the ancient words- in Yiddish, Hebrew, Turkish, and English- adroitly altering her phrasing to the style in question. The playing throughout is spirited, and the production is crystalline.
Veretski Pass A klezmer supergroup of sorts. Bassist Stuart Brotman, whose background is in international folk, anchors Brave Old World. Joshua Horowitz's cimbalom is a cornerstone of his old-school klez band Budowitz, but he also taught jazz alongside Stan Getz. And Cookie Segelstein is a classical violinist who has played with big-time klezmer outfits. Together, they make "Traditional East European Jewish Music" that is as head-spinning as Mozart and gut-punching as MC5. This is an intellectual and emotional workout that demands and deserves attention. The liner notes contain photos, ruminations, and chicken recipes.
Introducing Sukke Clarinet, bass, accordion... keep it simple as a succah, a shelter designed for wandering tribes. This is the philosophy of Sukke, which also unites three major klezmer players, although this time from Britain, Germany, and the Netherlands. Placing standards alongside new Yiddish song-poems, they weave a sound as delicate and elegant as a spider web... and as hard to leave.
Golem: Homesick Songs Klezmer music, garage-rock attitude. Golem is six people who have no business being this talented this young. Here, they present a dozen songs mostly named for places in the Old Country: Belz, Zlatopol, Odessa... which they long for with a twisted nostalgia. The characters in the tunes prefer the deep passions, as bitter as they were sweet, of the homeland's shtetls and fields to the unending drudgery of the "Goldena Medina's" slums and sweatshops. In one track, the sweet-faced "Greener Cousin" loses her bloom, damning her new land and its false promises. At least Golem enjoys wallowing in all the delicious angst.
Juez: Shemspeed Alt Shul
In Europe, "Alt" meant "old," and here it is short for "alternative." Both senses of the word come into play for this excursion of "breakbeat klezmer jazz." Juez takes klezmer and runs it through a hard-jazz processor. They use a trumpet and sax where most klezmer bands use a violin and clarinet, the two horns twining like vines on a chain-link fence. The electric bass sometimes decides that rock or funk is what is called for, and the drummer tries- but only casually- to hold it all together.
Margot Leverett and the Klezmer Mountain Boys "Jew-grass" fans-- whether pre- or post "O Brother, Where Out Thou?"-- will enjoy traveling this bridge between the Carpathians and the Ozarks. Most of the tracks are klezmer, with a sprinkling of bluegrass, and a few medleys (one called "Lonesome Fiddle Blues & Sid's Bulgars") in which one style slides seamlessly into the other. Clarinetist Leverett was a founder of the Klezmatics; bandmate Frank London sits in, as does Brave Old World's Michael Alpert. The sound is danceable, upbeat and endlessly surprising.
Celebrate Series: Celebrate Klezmer
The latest in the endless run of the Celebrate Series compilations, this one offers a klemer-copia of some of the finest acts in the klezmer revival: The Kelzmatics, the Klezmer Conservatory Band, the Chicago Klezmer Ensemble, and (gotta love the name) The Klez Dispensers. Veretski Pass is here, too. For this outing, producer Craig Taubman hands the reins to some experts, Frank London and Lorin Sklamberg. This is probably the best one-disc klezmer introduction since Itzhak Perlman's "In the Fiddler's House."
Klezmer, which dates back more than a century and a half, has the gravitas of all that is ancient. But in the hands of musicians both studious and playful, it never grows old.
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JWR contributor Paul Wieder is a public relations associate at the Jewish United Fund and a columnist for
JUF News. Contact the author or the magazine by either clicking here, or calling (312) 444-2853.
© 2004, Paul Wieder
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