But as it was being incorporated into other music, klezmer itself was falling by the wayside. It wasn't until the 1980s when interest in world music started to rise that klezmer was "rediscovered". Since then there have been a steady increase in the number of klezmer bands available for audiences to listen to.
Given the international flavour inherent in klezmer, it surprises me that until now, no one has attempted to do what the David Glukh International Ensemble has done in their latest album. Klezmer Travels The World sets out not only to celebrate the original roots of the genre, but to seek out styles of music not normally associated with klezmer.
I know the myth of the wandering Jew claims he is to wander the earth until Christ is resurrected, but I somehow doubt that he takes a klezmer band with him on his travels. Therefore the music of China and points east has probably never shown up in a klezmer tune before. "Klezmorim in China" supposes that some klezmer musicians show up in China to attempt collaboration with Chinese instruments and performers. When David Glukh who, along with the rest of the ensemble is a classically trained musician, discovered that J. S. Bach liked klezmer, it was only natural for him to compose "Baroque Klezmer", a fusion of the two styles.
The one thing I've had against a number of the bands involved in the klezmer revival is their inability to move beyond the strictures of how they believe the music should be played. The result is good music that begins to sound annoyingly similar after a while.
They seem to have forgotten that the music originally evolved through its ability to absorb the sounds surrounding it without surrendering its identity. David Glukh's original compositions, like the two mentioned above and "Gypsy Craze", are perfect examples of how that is accomplished. You're still listening to the music of the shtetls, but now some friends have dropped by to help out.
David Glukh's instrument of choice for these recordings is the piccolo trumpet. I have to confess my ignorance of never having heard of, let alone heard, a piccolo trumpet. It is usual for the leader of a klezmer troupe to play a clarinet, as the sound can both evoke sadness and express jubilation.
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