Customer Reviews

Don Byron Plays the Music of Mickey Katz

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

After being amazed with Bug Music, my first Don Byron album, I bought this one hoping for more of the same. It is completely different, and I couldn't be happier. While going from the frenetic and humerous swing of Bug Music to the off-beat klezmer was quite a shock--and one that took some getting used to--this CD is an amazing display of Don's talent and technical ability on the clarinet. This album has that rare ability to make you laugh out loud, smile, and drop your jaw at the musical ability and technique of the group all within the same song. Nowhere is Don's technical mastery of the clarinet more obvious than on this CD, and the humor he displays in his playing makes it very clear that he loves what he's doing--something that can't be said of many of his contemporaries.

First off, I come from a klezmer loving standpoint. I don't know of Don Byron as a contemporary Jazz artist, but as a fan of Jazz in general, I have a healthy appreciation and the utmost respect for the man right off the bat just for having ventured into the realm of klezmer after having already been firmly established as a performer in another part of the genre. Obviously, at least a few shallow minded fans of his were put off by this album simply because in it he has broken away from what he has been formerly known for doing and tried something different. Bravo! As a person who is familiar with all kinds of klezmer music, I can easily say that this is one of the most quality productions I have ever heard! Don Byron has really pulled off a wonderful tribute to Mickey Katz with the help of some of the most top level talent in klezmer music today. Singer Lorin Sklamberg of the Klezmatics makes the album a beauty and a joy to listen to whether you're fluent in Yiddish or not! Besides, there are more English lyrics than Yiddish to start with. Byron's mastery of the clarinet shines brightly in amongst the kitschy craziness of the happiest klezmer tracks you'll ever hear! Keep in mind, I didn't approach this CD as a Don Byron fan, but after taking in this inspired and awesome sample of his work, he will always be respected highly in my book for creating one of the best klezmer volumes I'll ever have in my rotation! Check it out - if you love klezmer, you won't be sorry!

Don Byron in his liner notes says that Mickey Katz ( 1909-1985) had a "unique and quirky musical vision", and this extremely entertaining CD is a terrific tribute to Katz and his versatility.
The prologue and Epilogue are both abstract jazz pieces, with excerpts from the original "Hello Solly !", of Mickey telling jokes interspersed with the music. Track # 2, "Frailach Jamboree" is straight fabulous klezmer, but with "Haim Afen Range" ("Home on the Range"), we get the beginning of the funny stuff !
Long before there was Allan Sherman or Weird Al, Mickey Katz was making hilarious musical parodies, and of those represented here, my favorite is "Seder Dance", which is a zany take on Khatchaturian's "Saber Dance".

Like Mickey Katz, Don Byron is a brilliant clarinetist, and has brought together a group of superb musicians for this CD. I must mention Mark Feldman on violin, and Uri Caine on piano who are utterly sensational, but they are all magnificent, and in what is the highlight track for me, "Dreidel Song", come together in a joyous sound that makes my heart leap inside me. I must also make mention of Lorin Sklamberg and Avi Hoffman, who do such excellent work with the vocals.
Recorded in Astoria, N.Y., in 1991, the sound is good and the total time is 53:12
This CD might be perplexing for the casual listener, but if you love klezmer, and Yiddish humor, you are guaranteed to adore it.

Who is Mickey Katz? I sure didn't know. Thank you Don Byron for sparking thought. This is an album that reminds me how little I know about music and history. Fortunately the music is so brilliant I forget my ignorance for a time. The mix of Klezmer, humor and fantastic musicianship creates one of the most enjoyable and unique sounds I've ever heard. There is so much passion in the klezmer sound. I highly recommend this album. Thank you Mickey Katz.

Here's a case where you can tell the book by it's cover;Don Byron,holding a chicken is the best thing since Mickey Katz posed for similar photos on his albums.Byron,who was Downbeat(jazz) musician of the year in 1992-also played clarinet with The Klezmer Conservatory Orchestra and he and his group here,put together a terrific mix of serious klezmer music,along with Katz's unique parodies.

i feel sorrrry for this band... they try but technically could not affor this music from GREAT MICKE KATZ

Obviously, Don Byron loves klezmer.

I am not sure I do.

A lot of this CD seemed, well, needlessly obscure. The weird Messaen-like opener clashes harshly with the music that follows, and goes on far, far too long, and is heavy with the portent of political meaning. The comedy routines are incomprehensible on two levels; one is because they're mixed down below the music, and secondly, well, because they're largely Yiddish comedy, and if you're not Jewish...you won't get it, because it's mostly in Yiddish. That's not putting anybody down, please don't get me wrong. It's just that the comedy routines in another language are a bit disconcerting, like watching a Telemundo comedy show and wondering what everyone is laughing about, and feeling vaguely uncomfortable because you don't get it.

On the plus side, the playing here is immaculate and witty. The musicianship is at a tremendously high level, and there's a lot of good music here. But you have to get through some bad and/or incomprehensible jokes to get to it, and man, the "Prologue" and "Epilogue" are just funereally gloomy.

If you can bypass, understand, or bear with the comedy routines, there's a bunch of good music here, but for a lot of listeners I would suspect that this would be hard to "get" properly without first educating yourself on who Mickey Katz was, the time period he lived in, the history of the bad old pop songs parodied here, and learning a whole lot of Yiddish. And, no offense to anyone, that's a bit more work than even I want to go through when listening to a CD.

I really don't think this is as effective as "Bug Music," by a long shot. I understand why Byron finds Katz interesting, and I understand why he thinks Katz is important, but the music should have been the focus, rather than the alternately schmaltzy/incomprehensible comedy routines and song parodies.

As it is, this is an interesting CD, brilliantly performed, of a perhaps undeservedly ignored American composer...but I doubt seriously I'll be listening to it a lot.

Don Byron is no Mickey Katz...Katz,a musician as well as a superb monologist,singing little ethnic ditties in the Spike Jones style,produced joyous ethnic music..The only thing joyous about this album is that one can shut it off...better yet,one can refrain from ever putting it on..Katz understood that what his audience wanted was to dance,to sing,to laugh,to have a good time.Byron doesn't understand this at all.Try dancing to ANYTHING that can be found on this album...Katz was,of course,influenced by his heritage.a heritage that Byron does not share.
Byron's jazz has always seemed experimental,as if pushing the envelope was a necessary factor in anything that he was associated with..There is nothing traditional about Byron's version of jazz.Katz,on the other hand WAS a traditionalist,and while he played around a lot with the music he produced,he never emasculated the traditional aspects of it in order to appear"new"or "trendy"..
Alas,this generation,overall,has little use for tradition..Jazz versions of Katz classics would be a welcome thing,but only if they were offered to us by someone who understands that "New"does not mean entirely different than the original.
This album deserves no stars.Indeed,stars ought to be given in reverse.Do not waste your gelt on this mishuga drek..Better to hunt down Mickey's old LPs,and hear the originals...