Customer Reviews

Yiddish-American Klezmer Music 1925-1956

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

In these recordings Dave Tarras plays with several orchestras in the span of about 30 years. If you are looking for a collection of clarinet solos, for which Tarras became a legend, then this is not the right cd, but rather you should get the two cd's titled "Dave Tarras - Master of Klezmer Music" (Global Village). On the other hand, here you can find a colorful and heterogeneous collection of tunes, some of which traditional (doynas, freilekhs, horas...), others more strongly influenced by the musical trends of the thirties. In several cases Jewish traditional tunes blend gracefully with swing and jazz. Some tracks are introduced by the original radio broadcastings, which make this album even more precious. There is also an unusually long and informative booklet on Tarras. Considering that most of the original recordings date back to more than 70 years ago, the technical quality is remarkably fine.

You have to bear in mind thatI know little about Klezmer, and recordings are not always easy to find in the UK. So when I saw this in our local Virgin store, I bought it as much out of curiosity as anything else.

I went home a few days later, picked up a book, put the CD on - and I didn't even LOOK at the book! The music demands attention and it's now one of my favourite CDs. History, technique, fabulous musicianship - it's all there. Of course, now I'm prejudiced in favour of Tarras as opposed to Brandwein ....

Thank you, Henry Sapoznik, for such a fascinating and comprehensive introduction - don't you think Dave Tarras' life story would make a brilliant film? Or has it happened and I've missed it?

Thank you again.

In these recordings Dave Tarras plays with several orchestras in the span of about 30 years. If you are looking for a collection of clarinet solos, for which Tarras became a legend, then this is not the right cd, but rather you should better get the cd titled "Dave Tarras - Master of Klezmer Music vol.2" (Global Village). On the other hand, here you can find a colorful and heterogeneous collection of tunes, some of which traditional (doynas, freilekhs, horas...), others more strongly influenced by the musical trends of the thirties. In several cases Jewish traditional tunes blend gracefully with swing and jazz. Some tracks are introduced by the original radio broadcastings, which make this album even more precious. There is also a long and very informative booklet on Tarras. Considering that most of the original recordings date back to more than 70 years ago, the technical quality is remarkably fine.

This selection of 23 virtuoso cuts includes five repeats from the enchanting Music From The Yiddish Radio Project, on which Dave Tarras figures a large role.

The repeats include Moishe Oysher's classic nigun, Chasidic in America (1958), Dayenu (1950), Bridegroom Special (1940), Die Golden Chasene (1945), and my favorite, Abe Ellstein's rendition of Second Avenue Square Dance (1950).

The music is just as wonderful a second time, even if you already own the Radio Project. Aside from the repeats, this collection offers some extremely worthy numbers of its own--which unlike the former includes a few advertisements within the cuts, not as separate ones. There's no arguing with these gorgeous renditions, complete with the tinny sound of ancient 78s. Some of the best music is in the opening number, Abe Schwartz Orchestra's 1928 version of Unzer Toirele, and the last, Rumanian Fantasy (1956).

In between you'll get Alexander Olshanetsky's violin-laden Mazel in Leibe (1929) and Seymour Rechtzeit's magnificent Hopkele (1941), the Bagelman Sisters in A Vaibele A Tsenien (1942) and the Yiddish Swingette's version of Zum Gali Gali. In 1950, as it is repeated here, the number was announced on air as a "Palestinian work song," meaning of course the work of Israel's Jewish inhabitants.

Tarras' doleful Branas Hassene (1941) includes the Rosh Hashonah Shofar as well as some rich brassy tones.

You know Chochme (Wisdom/Humor)? That's what this recording is --- both kinds.

Henry Sapoznik's notes alone are worth the price of this collection, so the extraordinary sound quality (for recordings from this era) makes it nothing less than a metsie fun a ganef! Just a few of the highlights: Moyshe Oysher's Yiddish scat in "Chassidic in America," the Barry Sisters (performing as the Bagleman Sisters and, I think, the Yiddish Swingtette), and the inimitable Seymour Rechtzeit's "Hopkele," not to mention the nostalgic WBBC Brooklyn patter. Mostly, though, with this CD I've finally understood why Dave Tarras was such a powerful inspiration for the klezmer revivalists of the last few decades. That man shvingt!

What a gem. Great quality with the perfect amount of "grittiness" for that nostalgic sound. So many wonderful songs, with a great mix of humor and poignancy. A must-have for any klezmer fan!

In many ways, this magnificent CD picks up where Arhoolie's "Klezmer Music - Early Yiddish Instrumental Music - The First Recordings: 1908-1927" left off, at least in regard to the Ashkenazi Jewish musicians who had relocated from eastern Europe to America during the early 1900s. Born in Ukraine in 1897, clarinetist Dave Tarras (standing second from left in the cover photo above) was an important part of this migration of klezmorim and by 1921 had settled in New York City. Despite his immense talent, it seems as though he more frequently recorded as a sideman than under his own name, at least judging by the selections featured on "Yiddish-American Klezmer Music 1925-1956." Nevertheless, Tarras' clarinet work (he was proficient on balalaika and saxophone as well) tends to stand out, even when he was surrounded by other skilled musicians and singers.

What ultimately set him apart from other klezmorim of his era, including his rival and fellow clarinet player Naftule Brandwine, was his occasional incorporation of jazz into his performances, which can clearly be heard on some of the tracks included in this retrospective. In this sense, Tarras can be viewed as something of a missing link between more traditional klezmer performers (e.g. Abe Schwartz and the aforementioned Brandwine) and Jewish jazz musicians like Benny Goodman, who was one of the most important figures in the development of swing during the 1930s. Indeed, the listener will find that tracks such as "Good Luck," "Bridegroom Special," "A Vaiblele a Tsnien," "Zum Gali Gali," "Freilachs," and "Dayeynu" contain significant elements of that particular style of jazz added to the mix, which foreshadows some of the musical fusion that would take place during subsequent decades. "A Vaiblele a Tsnien" is especially interesting as it features the vocals of Clara and Minnie Bagelman, who would later achieve fame as the Barry Sisters.

What helps make this collection so compelling is the fact that it presents Tarras with many different aggregations and in many different settings. In addition to the aforementioned swing-like material, there are instrumentals more typical of early American klezmer from the 1920s ("Unzer Toirele," "Yiddisher March," "Polka 'Strelotchek'," "Dem Monastrishter Rebin's Chosid'l," "Pas D'Espan," "Mazel in Liebe," "Die Reize Nuch Amerika," "Kinos, Tkios un Ashrei"), sides featuring vocalists ("A Yid Bin Ich Geboiren," "Hopkele," "What Can You Mach? S'is America"), and later recordings from the 1940s and 1950s that hearken back to earlier times ("Die Goldene Chasene," "Branas Hassene," "Oriental Hora," "Second Avenue Square Dance," "Rumanian Fantasy"). The last-mentioned title is noteworthy as it is a seven-and-a-half minute piece divided into three sections that originally appeared on Tarras' 1956 LP for Epic, Tantz! Although nearly everything else is sourced from original 78s, many of the swing-influenced numbers listed in the previous paragraph come from transcriptions of radio shows such as Yiddish Melodies in Swing. The announcers and radio spots are often nearly as interesting as the music and provide a fascinating glimpse into an almost completely forgotten world. Although sandwiched between a commercial for a New York clothiers' association, "Chasidic in America" is a fantastic vocal duet by Moishe Oysher and Florence White on which Tarras and other musicians provide the instrumental backing. Can't understand the announcer's spiel in Yiddish? Not to worry since Henry Sapoznik's superb booklet notes not only provide a translation but an engrossing biography of Dave Tarras as well.

Dave Tarras was one of the pioneers of American klezmer music and an inspirer of the contemporary klezmer revival bands. Listen and enjoy these original recordings of this clarinet genius.