Search - New Klezmer Trio :: Melt Zonk Rewire

Not your everyday Klezmer band...

Allan MacInnis | Vancouver | 02/25/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The New Klezmer Trio, fronted by clarinetist Ben Goldberg, have as much in common with the free jazz scene as they do with klezmer; while they're definitely part of the current renaissance in Jewish cultural product being spurred by John Zorn, they're doing much to interpret and reinvent klezmer, bending it far, far away from the manic, playful music typically designated by that name. In fact, oft times, the music on this album is dark and broody, sometimes even aggressive; it doesn't sound like any other klezmer you're likely to here. I'd recommend this to anyone interested in free jazz, particularly in the use of the clarinet in free contexts, before I'd recommend it to a fan of traditional klezmer. Someone who likes BOTH these forms should buy it in an instant, needless to say. See also my review for SHORT FOR SOMETHING, a slightly more accessible, but less, I found, rewarding disc."