The Canadian humourist Stephen Leacock once wrote about a man who "...flung himself from the room, flung himself upon his horse and rode madly off in all directions." Musically, that's how this release feels. With only ten songs totalling less than one half hour duration, Oy to the World! A Klezmer Christmas manages to cover a lot of territory. It's Christmas music, Hanukkah music, klezmer music, tango music, movie music, surfing music. It's most serious and it's seriously silly. And it's just, well... wonderful!
A Jewish secular music form, klezmer has existed possibly since as early as the year 150, has been documented since the 15th century, and since the 19th century has spread from its modern origins in Bessarabia across Europe and into the the Americas, influencing many forms of popular music including polka and tango. It's a joyous, heart-stirring, practically irresistible form of music and an open invitation to dance.
The music on this release has the lively, exotic feel of an oriental bazaar, or at least the sort of oriental bazaar we see in old movies. Every song brings with it a sense of drama, the expectation that something wonderful may happen at any moment.
There's a serious side to this experiment in cultural blending. The musicianship is superb, and the songs are filled with allusions to other songs, other genres, and other musical eras. Within the klezmer envelope are included tastes of classical music, Dixieland jazz, classic rock, pop music, and other forms that add to the overall delight of this release. The effect is a psychedelic blending of musics and cultures into something truly universal. Yet, at root this set is a classic work of humour, at times subtle and at other times quite outrageous.
As I listen, I'm flooded with memories of recordings heard long ago. There's the irreverent clatter of Spike Jones' "Nutcracker Suite" with all its insanity, "I Yust Go Nuts at Christmas" and "Yingle Bells" from Harry Stewart as Yogi Yorgesson, and even, or perhaps especially, "Who Stole the Kishka" by Frankie Yankovic and covered by probably every other polka band in North America. Not really a Christmas song, "Kishka" inevitably got a lot of airplay during each Christmas season for more than a decade.
The set begins conservatively enough with a quiet version of "We Three Kings" that escalates not all that gradually into a riotous splash of klezmer that sets up the listener for the rest of the songs in the set.
The set ends in an equally quiet version of "Away in a Manger" that brings the listener out of the insanity and back to the real world. Peaceful and reverent, this is perhaps the most traditional of any song in this set.
Article comments
1 - Pico
Jewish music about Christmas...gotta love the irony. Then again, no one cared about that when Kenny G(orelick) was putting out Christmas records.
I enjoy modern Klezmer music for the high wiggy factor. It can be some real entertaining stuff and it blends in well well other music forms, especially jazz and rock.
This looks like a great holiday record to check out for someone looking for something off the beaten path, thanks for the tip, Bob.
Expecting Saleski to chime in with the Zorn/Masada angle in 3...2...1... ;&)
-P