Customer Reviews

Oy to the World

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Ah, Christmas music.

It's been rocked, rolled, swinged, switched-on, bluesed, jazzed, (Mannheim) Steamrollered, Top-Fortied and Elvised within an inch of a fruitcake's life and still comes back for more. What could possibly be left after The New Christy Minstrels and the Ray Conniff Singers have had their turn at the Wassail bowl?

Enter The Klezmonauts with the answer: "OY to the World! A Klezmer Christmas."

Yeah, you hoid, uh, heard me right. Klezmer, the Jewish take on the free-form instrumentation of Dixieland with a flavor that's distinctively Kosher, not Cajun.

Paul Libman heads up a band of not-so-meshuga merry makers who pull it all together with charm and an appropriately light touch. The Klezmonauts include a few names better known for their appearances on other Christmas and non-seasonal albums, like Mannheim Steamroller violinist Arnie Roth. Does Chip Davis know about this?

Lest you think "OY to the World" is just Christmas carols with a few hyperkinetic clarinet riffs, a violin, an accordion and a drummer, The Klezmonauts throw in a few surprises, like a mini tribute to Dick Dale and his surf guitar, a few bars from the theme to "The Good, The Bad and The Ugly" and an original tune about Saint Nick called "Santa Gey Gezunderheit (Santa, Go in Good Health)". I won't tell you where they pop up. Just keep an ear peeled and DON'T sip egg nog while listening. You might spray everyone else in the room.

At barely 29 minutes in length, the album might seem short but Paul Libman knows when to leave 'em wanting more. Maybe he will or maybe he won't record a sequel to this 1998 release but like a favorite movie you've bought on DVD, "OY to the World!" contains moments you anticipate in repeated listenings. For a free sample, visit [...] and download the complete MP3 recording of "Joy to the World". Then grab the rest from Amazon.com.

Shades of Mannheim Steamroller's first Christmas album, "OY to the World!" ends with a performance of "Away in a Manger" that at first seems out of place after all that frivolity but only reminds us that every type of music offers the same range of emotion, from silly and slapstick to tender and touching.

Oy, what a season!

Such a nice song collection; such a nice package! Great gift, great musicianship BUT NOT ENOUGH!!!! 5 stars otherwise. You charged full price, give us full value. Gevalt! Just when I was tuning in, it was over!!! MORE!!! It will be well worth everyone's investment. 28 1/2 minutes!!?? Give us a break!

Save for the Messianic believers, of course Jews don't celebrate Christmas. Still in our American culture, Jews have always had a connection to it. Irving Berlin wrote "WHITE CHRISTMAS". A few years ago, Neil Diamond recorded a very well received Christmas CD. There are many such stories to tell.

Here, the idea of using the mesmerizing, yet festive style of Klezmer music is used to offer a whole new way for all of us to enjoy our Christmas favorites. "DECK THE HALLS" for example literally becomes hypnotically danceable without sounding the least bit disrespectful to the solemnity of the song or the Holiday.

There are parts where the musicians drifted into silliness. If one listens carefully, some of guitar work and accompanying drums become reminiscent of the 60's hit, "WIPEOUT" by the Safaris. While this takes away from what seemed to be the true mission of this CD, the musicians are so proficient and energetic that we can forgive the few places where they got a bit carried away.

It's been ten years since this "OY TO THE WORLD" CD was released, and I'm shocked at how few people know about it. For anyone who loves Christmas music, this is a must have to play for your Christmas parties when the season comes around again. If the Klezmonauts are reading this, it's been a decade! Think about going back into the studio because there are many more Christmas songs that await your treatment. But please stick to the mission and put your surfing and other unrelated tracks on a separate CD.

This is a wonderful, if too brief, assortment of Klezmer arrangements of Christmas songs - the ideas, performances and production are fabulous, but it's disappointing to have less than a half-hour's worth of material to hear!! Still, LITTLE DRUMMER BOY is priceless, and alone worth the price of admission!

I thoroughly enjoyed OY TO THE WORLD by the Klezmonauts!! Inventive - funny - entertaining!! Bravo! Libman & Company have put together a wonderfully wry and enjoyable set. I would recommend it to anyone who loves Christmas music, comedy, parody - not to mention the key of D-minor.I only have three suggestions to Mr. Libman: 1) Obviously, being "A Klezmer Christmas" there will be a lot of minor-keyed music. But how about some variety!! E-Minor, A-Minor, F-Minor - all GREAT keys...check 'em out!!! 2) Who are the singers (other than Libman's solo on "Santa Gey Gezunderheit")? The documentation seems very complete other than that! 3) As a novelty record, I didn't expect a full 74-minutes of CD sound...but 28-1/2 minutes is a little lean for full CD price. Mind you, every song is a value - but MORE is in order!!I believe that "Oy to the World" should become a holiday classic - and I hope that some savvy radio programmers will pick-up on it. Dr. Demento: ARE YOU LISTENING?!? I hope Libman & Company continue to deliver more fine discs to us - but next time, how about a little more pastrami on a bigger piece of rye!! Oy!!

I just picked this up and I haven't stopped laughing since I played it. Makes you want to yell "Hey!" through all the up-tempo numbers. All well executed numbers.

I celebrate Christmukkah (ie I put up a tree and have a menorah) in my house with my wife & kids.
I'm also sick and tired of the same Holiday Music Dreck on the radio.
A couple of years ago I discovered that SOMA FM ([...]) adds a Holiday Muzik station that's totally wonnerful and twisted.
Last Holiday I'm listening to SOMA FM's 'Christmas In Frisko' holiday audio stream and out from my computer's speakers comes this great mash-up.
It's Xmas music played in the Klezmer style!
It's too Trafe to be Good! At least it won't clear the room like 'Jingle Cats'<g>
This CD makes a great Holiday gift for the Yiddishim and Goyim alike.
.....I wonder if these guys are gonna make a sequel CD?

Finally a holiday album that does it different. This collection is innovative and enjoyable. It is much more than a novelty. The quality of the music is exceptional. Mix it in with your other holiday CD's and enjoy!

The arrangements are sparklingly creative and all the performers are top-notch! LITTLE DRUMMER BOY alone is worth the price of admission!

I'm goy (specifically Christian), but Klezmer is one of my favorite musical styles. This one is side-splitting/I got it last year for ME, and am getting it this year for gifts.