Set against the mostly instrumental selections in this set, the lovely vocal version of "Jingle Bells" in Yiddish comes as a delightful surprise. The instrumental bits between and around the vocal evoke memories alternately of B. Bumble and the Stingers' hit "Bumble Boogie" (Rimsky-Korsakoff reformed as boogie woogie by pianist Jack Fina) and Spike Jones at his most riotous.
"Good King Wenceslas" begins with all the pomp and circumstance of a B movie about Arabia then swings into a Middle-Eastern melody over a bass line reminiscent of The Drifters and punctuated with heraldic horns that might hark back to Robin Hood. But wait! Is that just a bit of "Sunshine of Your Love" that I hear infiltrating this song? Yes, and then more classical allusions follow. The mind boggles. All this in just over two minutes.
"The Little Drummer Boy" lopes into sight quietly then, without warning, halfway through the song breaks into a wild drummer mode that can't help but bring to mind the surfing classic "Wipeout," right down to the guitar shots amidst the drums and those orchestral waves of instrumentation so endemic to all surfing music.
Be sure to listen for some echoes of old Clint Eastwood westerns in "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen." The effect is almost disturbing, but in a fun way.
The only original song on this release, "Santa Gey Gezunderheit" is clever and funny and a joy to hear. This is a well-written, humourous story that should become a Christmas radio classic, if only as an antidote to the perennial schmaltz that fills the airwaves at this time of year.
If you prefer to take your music straight, conventional, and serious, this is not for you. Oy to the World! A Klezmer Christmas will appeal to the person who delights in the bizarre and the unconventional, who relishes the surprises in life and takes fun wherever it can be found. For such individuals, these songs will present an ecstatic kaleidoscope of musical colours. I recommend it highly.
You can learn more about The Klezmonauts at the Oy to the World! website. This website also includes a sampler page where you can download a full-length MP3 of the title song and listen to clips of the other nine songs.
Oy to the World! A Klezmer Christmas
The Klezmonauts
Satire
2006
10 tracks
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