|
Kol Simcha
Kol Simcha - Klezmer Soul
|
ORDER VIA OUR SECURE SERVER
OR CALL 212-580-9200 x10
|
Track Listing
- Hakotel 4:49
- Jerusalem 6:15
- Why 9:07
- Anne 5:25
- Shir Hamaalot 1:26
- Negev 6:07
- Joseph 5:42
- Anastasia 4:59
- Lullaby for Clarinet, Piano and Strings 5:04
- Shabbes 6:48
- Al Kapav Yavi 2:06
|
- The Jewish vernacular folk music of Klezmer is best known for its wildly exuberant dances, but the genre also has a quiet, deeply emotional side equivalent to the melancholy airs of Celtic music. Klezmer Soul is pain relieved, heartache soothed, anguish redeemed. Just as the traditional Jewish vernacular of Klezmer has succeeded in insinuating itself into the hearts and minds of contemporary listeners, and the celebratory strains of its idiomatic melodies and rhythms gain new enthusiasts, the members of the popular Swiss ensemble Kol Simcha and World Class label producer STEPHEN HILL have chosen to communicate something deeper and more ancient with the release of the deep Klezmer compilation, Klezmer Soul.
To the casual observer Klezmer music is the sound of exultation, an unrestrained celebration of life, but the less familiar contemplative side of Klezmer music speaks to something very ancient and sacred in the hearts of listeners, and it is for this reason that this compilation departs from the celebratory aspect of the music in favor of its more ruminative, prayerful aspects.
Klezmer Soul explores the spiritual underpinnings of Klezmer by evoking the mystery of forgotten texts and resonant melodies that go back generations. Yet for all the stillness and quiet mastery of their presentation, Kol Simcha's mesmerizing original ballads are shot through with powerful emotions and subtle harmonic twists and turns, making Klezmer Soul essential listening for lovers of traditional music and cool jazz alike.
Translated from Hebrew, kol is a voice, while simcha is synonymous with parties, celebrations and joyous occasions. For a growing host of world music fans, Kol Simcha represents the past, present and future of klezmer music, but their approach to idiomatic Jewish melodies and rhythms is anything but traditional.
Having made the journey from the shtetls of Eastern Europe to the clubs and concert halls of the west, Klezmer no longer exists as an isolated cultural idiom and has come to reflect many of the instrumental styles of its adopted homelands, most tellingly in America where its sound and spirit have been likened to New Orleans-styled traditional jazz and backwoods Zydeco.
So in taking traditional klezmer melodic instruments such as clarinet and flute and combining them with a jazz rhythm section of piano, acoustic bass and the modern multi-percussion drum set, Kol Simcha isnt denying the ancestral roots of the music. Nor are they seeking to popularize Klezmer in the basest sense. No, the music of Kol Simcha is an affirmation of both modernist aspirations and traditional values, as the music is assimilated into the improvisational mainstream and informs evolving styles of expression as we enter the 21st century.
From MICHAEL HEITZLER's and OLIVIER TRUAN's hushed clarinet-piano dialogues on "Al Kapav Yavi" and "Hakotel," the Mid-Eastern strains of cymbal rolls, plucked piano strings and flute on "Negev" and "Joseph," to the restrained shadow dance of "Jerusalem" and the graceful orchestral strings of "Lullaby," this is a cool, poignant recital that pulls on the heart without ever resorting to faux sentimentality. And on a serene tune such as "Anastasia," with Truan's rippling piano arpeggios and Heitzler's clarinet, Kol Simcha reveals a brand of sublimely romantic understatement that is the mark of mature musical originality.
|
Kol Simcha - Voice of Joy
|
ORDER VIA OUR SECURE SERVER
OR CALL 212-580-9200 x10
|
Track Listing
- Zipor 3:10
- Shpiel es 4:39
- Nigun 2:42
- Hip Hop Hora 3:09
- Why 9:07
- Everybody's Freilach 3:09
- Folk Song 3:25
- Negev 6:07
- Long Live the Nigun 5:25
- Josef's Freilach 2:02
- Dybbuk 3:22
- Lullaby 4:21
- Sher 2:40
- Tarra's Freilach 3:27
- Shir Hamaalot 1:26
|
- Kol Simcha means ÒVoice of Joy.Ó After years of playing together, these five Swiss musicians breathe, cry and dance as one. Most compositions are original, but they include many traditional gems from over a century of Klezmer music, rearranged for the '90s. Already one of the great bands in contemporary klezmer music, Kol Simcha's style appeals to listeners far beyond its Eastern European folk roots. The five man Swiss ensemble adds a supertight rhythm section of acoustic bass, drums, and piano to the traditional klezmer clarinet and flute, giving a well-worn form of Jewish vernacular music the refinement and sophistication of jazz - without losing any of the music's passion and good fun. From the wildly joyous to the exotically dark, deep, and sad, Kol Simcha celebrates life in all its glorious extremes.
Klezmer, a rollicking party music that has been likened to Yiddish Zydeco, is currently enjoying a big revival. Yet unlike some contemporary klezmer bands which have adopted a zany ethnic image, the members of Kol Simcha are hip and worldly in their approach. They've even ditched the traditional accordion, further updating their sound. This is polished, acoustic world music that could just as easily find its way into the jazz bins.
The ensemble playing is certainly tight and exciting enough to satisfy fans of rigorous, soaring improvisations, without losing people who crave music that just plain feels good. While some critics have compared contemporary klezmer music to Dixieland, Kol Simcha seems more influenced by the cool jazz of Miles Davis, the ecstasy and tenderness of John Coltrane, the refinement of Wynton Marsalis, the heat of Zydeco's Queen Ida, and the revelry of a rockin' cajun group like Beausoleil.
The name of the group (pronounced coal-SIM-ka) couldn't be more appropriate. In Hebrew, kol means "voice," and simcha refers to a joyous occasion, a party or celebration. Many of the tunes on the group's debut for World Class Records do indeed invite you to get up and dance yourself into a frenzy.
Like any great party band, however, Kol Simcha knows when - and how - to slow things down. Several ballads on the album feed the soul even as they bring tears to the eyes. The band succeeds in enhancing the most poignant overtones of its roots, taking klezmer beyond its longstanding status as bittersweet, ironic celebration music for an oppressed ethnic group.
Kol Simcha brings klezmer's most vital and relevant qualities to an artistic level that speaks eloquently to all people about what it means to be fully human.
|
|
|
