Klezmer CDs

In the last issue I asked the question: "l Want to Play Klezmer - So Where ls The Music?" A very important step to help learning a new style
of music is to listen to various recordings of performers in order eventually to find our own voice. The first recording we listen to will undoubtedly
have a strong impact on our perception of how the music should be played. Nevertheless,some specific styles of performance might feel more 'at
home'than others, depending on personality and playing style. Therefore, it is imperative to start listening to historic recordings to capture the
original intended flavour of the music. With klezmer, two staple performers to learn from are Naftule Brandwein and Dave Tarras. Tnese
performers athacted huge crowds and competed fiercely with one another.
Klezmer musicians (klezmorim) who painstakingly studied Brandwein and Tarras styles naturally added their own spice and expression to their
interpretation. When the klezmer revival movement began in the 1970s,Giora Feidman and others were leading a new generation of performers by
popularizing klezmer and bringing it to large audiences, as well as creating a large number of recordings and books for students. Many players
today have been inspired by their mentor's style. Eventually, these younger players made recordings that now encompassedan afiay of styles mixed
together, including their own personal style. Some performers decide to move away from traditional klezmer and make drastic changes by mixing
today's new music styles with the Old World klezmer. David Krakauer is a perfect example of this practice. He is gaining notoriety as an innovator
by mixing jazz, funk, and contemporary characteristics in his interpretations of klezmer. The same thing is true with jazzman Andy Statman.
As I said in the last article, it is a good idea to start collecting song books early on in order to become familiar with the main repertoire (the largest
collection being The Ultimate Klezmer, a relatively new fake book compiled by JoshuaHorowitz). Written music can hardly capture all the
subtleties of timeless klezmer tradition. The following recordings will help you translate the written music into song.
Brandwein, Tanas, Feidman, Krakauer, and an array of intemationally acclaimed artists are listed below as important examples of various styles and
repertoire. Although there is huge range of great klezmer CDs on the market today, I chose to list some of the most easily available recordings to help
the novice sample various styles and get to know the most popular bands.
Two of my favourite sources for klezmer CDs and books are www.Judaism.com and www.Jewishmusic.com. I also recommend wwwjewishmusicjmd.co.uk, www.amazon.co.uk (or www.amazon.com),htp://www.klezrner.ch, and wwwjewishbookcenter.com. Natwally, there are many others, all
of which can be easily searched online through Google or any other search engines. For simplicity, CD label names and prices have been omitted,
however the information is readily found online. The CD titles marked with an * (asterisk) are recommended for novice klezmer clarinet listeners.
Recommended Klezmer CDs for Clarinet:
CD sleeve
Author
Title
Remorks
Giora Feidman
*The Magic of the
Klezmer
Music by the King of klezmer with clarinet, acoustic guitar and double bass. This
recording's first track (Song ofRejoicing) is the catalyst that started this author's
venture into klezmer. Feidman's klezmer tonal palette is wide and expressive.The
sound of the acoustic trio is intimate, and allows beginning klezmer clarinettists to
distinguish the various clarinet sounds,ornaments,and effects used in klezmer.
Feidman releaseda huge number of CDs. Some include his other favourite style,
the tango. Feidman also recorded Jewish orchestral music. I recommend all his
basic klezmer CDs.
CD sleeve
Author
Title
Remork
ffi
VariousArtistsfrom
Europe,EastemJewishandYddish:
NaftuleBrandwein,
Klezmer!
A companion CD to Henry Sapoznik's book Klezmer! Jewish Music From Old
World to Our World (see last issue,page 33). Chronological anthology of Yiddish
recordings from 1912-1997,which offers an overyiew of the diversity and
enthusiasmofYiddish popular culture during its height, decline and current revival
Title
Remorks
Abe SchwarE's Orchesh4 Andy
Statnan, Dave Tiarras,The Klezrner
ConservatoryBand, Kapelye,
Klezner Plus. and others
CD sleeye
t re
ffi
E
Author
Klezmer
Dancingin theAisles
ConservatoryBand
.ru
CD sleeye
Author
Title
Klezmer
Oy Chanukah!
Conservatory
Band
(Ilene Stahl,clarinet)
This is one of the later KCB CDs. The bandwas foundedby HankusNetslcy,a major figure
in klezner teachingin the U.S. today.He is professorat the New EnglandConservatoryin
Boston.This band is turiquebecauseit includesa hugearray of instrumentsso the live
concertexperienceis very powerful. The KCB hasmany other CDs to their credit suchas:A
Tasteof Paradise,Yiddishe Renaissance,Live! The 13thAnniversarv Album. and more.
Remork
This CD includes spoken comments to describe the traditions of Chanukah.There
is even a hilarious recipe for latkes (potato pancakes),narrated by a Yiddish
grandmother in her kitchen as she is frying them in a pan on her stove.
32 Clarinet & Saxoohone Autumn 2006
Title
CD sleeve
Author
{E*t
Ktezperanto
fff:"Jffilcrarinet)
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CD sleeve
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CD sleeve
CD sleeve
Author
Naftule Brandwein,
Tarras, Solinski, Ahl,
Schwartz, Moskowitz,
and many others.
CD sleeve
Early Klezmer
Recordings,19111939
Clarinettist and scholar Joel Rubin produced one of the finest anthologies of early
20th century Jewish instrumental music. Great folk music with lots of spirit,
meticulouslyannotated.Reissuesof78s so the audio quality is under par.
Title
Dave Tarras
Author
Klezmatics
(Matt Darriau,
clarinet)
CD sleeve
Remorks
* Yiddish-American
Klezmatics
(David Krakauer,
clarinet)
Author
Klezmatics
Author
David Krakauer
and Klezmer
Madness group
CD sleeve
Author
Maxwell Street
Band
(JeffJeziorski,
clarinet)
CD sleeve
Author
F,fi,:
tu#a
BraveOld World
JoelRubin,
(clarinet)
Remorks
Ukrainian-born clarinettist Dave Tarras was known to be musically more refined
Klezmer Music 1925- than his peer Naftule Brandwein. This is a 30-year anthology of Tarras's
performancesin a wide variety of settings (including samplesof Jewish radio in the
r956
1940s).Even though this CD features Dave Tarras, other CDs of his contain more
clarinet solos (such as the two CDs entitled Dave Tarras - Master of Klezmer
Music (Global Village). This CD contains a wide variety of tunes, including
traditional klezmer as well as the more jazz influenced klezmer of the 1930s.The
CD jacket includes excellent notes by Henry Sapoznik. The audio quality is
surprisingly good for a reissue of a 78 rpm.
Title
Jews with Horns
Title
Rise Up! Shteyt
ovf!
Title
*Rhythm and
Jews
CD sleeve
Ilene Stahl moved from the Klezmer Conservatory Band to form her own group,
Klezperanto. Stahl is a fantastic klezmer clarinettist with amazing stagepresence
and energy.This CD is full of happy tunes, with wonderful improvised solos. The
album's title refers to an eclectic mix of New Orleansjazz, East European village
music, American swing, Mediterraneanmelodies, and others.A new twist to klezmer.
Title
Author
Author
Remorks
Title
Klezmer Madness
Title
*You Should be so
Lucky
Title
*Klezmer Music
Remorks
Reissueof their initial recording. The Klezmatics is one of the top klezmer
bands in the U.S. today. Contains great fun and exciting tunes mixing the
traditional klezmer style with new ideas to keep it fresh.
Remorks
This recording includes klezmer music with today's modem jazz and fusion
with Latin dance riffs. This CD is fu1l of energy and creativity; however it does
Jewish musical themesas well.
include the more standard-soundine
Remorks
Here is another great CD with Dave Krakauer and the Klezmatics. The group
plays soulful Jewishroots music mixed with today's eclecticstyles.Originally
releasedin 1991,it reachedthe top ten of the Billboard magazineWorld Music
chart, the European World Music, and the College Music Joumal charts, and
was awarded the prestigious Preis der Deutschen Schallplatten Kritik.
Rernorks
This is David Krakauer's 'new version'of Klezmer.Although this CD is more
jazz than klezmeq it illustrates how klezmer can be transformed into something
new by mixing it with contemporary sounds.Krakauer is a daring and extremely
powerful player. Not for the novice klezmer.
Remorks
This is a fantastic band from Chicago, and it is one of the top groups in the U.S.
This CD includes a diverse range of klezmer styles with great solos. Excellent
CD for listeners who are new to klezmer.
Remorks
This is a great CD from a leading band in the U.S. Includes wonderful
arrangementsof traditional klezmer with a few original tracks by the band.
Excellent for the novice listener.
Autumn 2006 Clarinet & Saxophone 33
CD sleeve
-
-..:--.g1l!
Author
Naftule
Brandwein
Title
*King of the
Klezmer Clarinet
Remorks
Title
Remorks
r-ll
I
CDsleeve
Author
Brave Old World
(Kurt Bjorling,
clarinet)
CDsleeve
Author
ChicagoKlezner
Ensemble(Kurt
Bjorling, clarinet)
CDsleeve
Author
Andy Statrnan
CDsleeve
Author
Cincinnati
Klezmer Project
(Michdle Gingras,
clarinet)
Blood Oranges
Title
Sweet Home
Bukovina
Title
Wisdon,
Understanding,
Knowledge
Title
*Klezmerb
Greatest Hits
Naftule Brandwein was a huge star klezmer clarinettist in New York in the 1920s
and 1930s.He had a huge personality and a clarinet tone to match, and was
known to drink and gamble. As opposedto his peer Dave Tarras's delicate tone,
Brandwein's music was loud and powerful. He was so competitive that he was
known to play with his back to the crowd to hide his best clarinet moves from the
competition. This is an essentialreissue ofa legendary player who incidentally
did not read music. Naturally, the audio sound quality is not of the highest order
becauseofthe original age ofthe 78 rpm recording.
Another CD by this amazingband. This one includes many variants of the style
with new iazz influences.
Remorks
Kurt Bjorling is uniquein that he perlormson a C clarinetandhe alsoperforms
on tsimbl (a stringinstrumentplayedwith smallhammers).His bandis in high
demand.Theyplay concertmusicon stagewithoutthe usualdrums.This
playsin the styleof earlierbands.
ensemble
Remorks
VirtuosoAndy Statmanis knownto be both a traditionalklezmerandonewho
continuesto breaknew artisticground.He studiedwith masterklezmer
clarinettistDave Tarras,who bequeathedhis instrumentsto Statmanwhen he
died.This recordingfeatures1l soulfulChassidicmelodiesperformedby The
Andy StatmanTrio.
Remork
This recordingfeaturesthe authorof this article with the Cincinnati Klezmer
Project(clarinet,mandolin,piano,voice,bass,drums).Twentyklezmertunes,
arrangedin the order appropriatefor a typical klezmerparty. Includessome
singingin Yiddish.All tracksincludea majorclarinetpart.