Kleztory – Momentum
Chandos – Out Now
Momentum is the sixth studio album from Kleztory, a Montreal-based band that has members from a wide range of cultures (Russian, Canadian, Quebecois and Moldavian) and musical influences from classical to folk. Instrumentally they feature violin/viola, guitar, accordion, contrebasse and a range of clarinets. On Momentum, they also use a group of fine guest musicians to widen the scope of what is already a really full sound. Marking their twentieth anniversary it includes ‘fan favourites’ that they’ve performed at live shows around the world alongside new compositions.
Most of us have experienced klezmer music, often as vibrant dance music but klezmer is a much broader tradition that ranges from breakneck dances to poignant laments. Couple this with the Kleztory’s occasional excursions to the outer reaches of jazz and other styles and you have an album that shows this music at its finest.
Momentum opens with Kleztory’s Freylekh (Kletztory’s Happy Tune) which is just what it says on the tin. A bright tune at breakneck speed featuring some fine playing from Elvira Misbakhova on viola/violin. Less than two minutes of pure fun, composed by band leader Airat Ichmouratov, it is followed by the contrasting I’m Eshkachech Yerushalayim (If I Forget You Jerusalem), a poignant and memorable traditional melody often performed at weddings and other celebrations that will stay with you long after the final note.
Of a more contemporary feel is Liteul Biteul, composed by guitarist Danny Nicolas. It has a jazz feel in places accentuated by the fine piano of guest musician David Ryshpan, at times reminiscent of Mike Garson’s playing on Aladdin Sane by Bowie.
As well as playing the clarinet and the hybrid-like duclar (a wooden clarinet type instrument combining the body of an Armenian duduk with the mouthpiece of a clarinet), Airat Ichmouratov is also responsible for the majority of the arrangements including the traditional Moldavian Hora. A hora is a circle dance, the knowledge of which helps to explain the sedate pace. There is also a sense of deep longing in this piece that suggests there may also be a deeper story to it.
This is followed by Oh Tate s’iz gut (Oh Father it’s good!) – and it is! A traditional melody where Airat goes off on a wild ride with his clarinet. This is joyous Klezmer at its finest, not just musical expertise but a show of real fire and passion. I Love it!
Aide Jano (C’mon Jana!) is a traditional Serbian song which includes the declaration of “C’mon darling! Let’s sell the house and go dancing!” Here we only get the achingly beautiful melody but it’s enough to make you want to shed your daily burdens and head off into the sunset with the help of some dramatic violin, virtuosic accordion and some really ‘out there’ piano. What’s not to like?
We leave this emotional landscape to the tune of Andy’s Ride, the sleeve notes for which claim that Airat and Elvira go wild which they undoubtedly do. How the band stays so tight at this breakneck speed I’ve no idea but it’s an astounding demonstration of musicianship on offer here.
Soulmate is a melancholy lament which apparently is often used as a prelude to faster klezmer tunes. It features an improvisation on the aforementioned Duclar by Airat and some nifty percussion from guest musician Bertil Schulrabe on what sounds like a tabla. Violin Doina in C follows close on its heels, a Romanian lament often played on flute or pipes by shepherds. This is another showcase for Elvira’s violin but there is also some lovely bass clarinet in the earlier stages leading into a lively dance tune…one of those tunes you are sure you’ve heard before but can’t quite remember.
We finish the album with Die Goldene Chassene (the golden wedding) – a wedding dance which is a staple in the klezmer repertoire. Short and sweet and a perfect bookend to the opening ‘Freylekh’, it’s one you just can’t keep your feet still.
I have heard it naively claimed that all Klezmer sounds the same but this celebration of twenty years of Kleztory’s commitment to the genre shows that nothing could be further from the truth. Klezmer is a living tradition and this album portrays it at its absolute best.
Order via Chandos