The Zmiros Project

Fran London | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (February 12, 2002)
• Original Release Date: 2002
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Traditional Crossroads
• ASIN: B00005YKKW
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #357,528 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Interesting modernization of ancient Jewish music, March 12, 2002

By 

DJ Joe Sixpack (...in Middle America) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)   

This review is from: The Zmiros Project (Audio CD)

A lovely exploration of Jewish "zmiros," an informal style of Sabbath songs with a rich historical tradition. Frank London and Lorin Sklamberg of the Klezmatics are joined by pianist Rob Schwimmer to lovingly embellish these religious songs with an distinctive modern twist. These tunes have a playfulness and a melodic repetitiveness that draws you in, yet what makes this album particularly striking is the expansive, richly innovative approach taken by the trio. The Zmiros Project weaves art song, haunting electronica and subtle avant garde jazz with the rabbinical tradition in a fashion that is both lullingly pleasant and musically quite complex. They've managed to modernize Jewish music yet completely avoid the numerous cliches and traps of contemporary "world music" crossovers. This album is truly unique -- a precious commodity in a world as awash with commercial drek and iffy experimentation as ours. Recommended... definitely worth checking out!

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars a middle ground between mystic and folk, June 12, 2002

By 

M. J. Smith (Seattle, WA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Zmiros Project (Audio CD)

This album contains music that is somewhere on the continuum between Israeli folk and Kabbalah mystic. Tsur misheloy is on the folk side of the continuum ending with a very 'Israeli' sound to my Gentile ears; it is actually a Hasidic tune from the 18th century. Eyliyohu hanovi is a piano improvisation very much in the European concert piano music tradition. Azameyr bishvokhin has a touch of jazz-electronic in the accompaniment. In short, it includes a wide band of Eastern European styles between folk and mystic.

The instrumentation is fascinating ... theremin, daxophone, taisho harp with the more common varieties of brass (trumpet, cornet, alto horn, piccolo trumpet) and keyboards (piano, Organ, electric piano). This mixture is used to create accompaniments that together with the voices makes a harmonious whole.

5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic CD!, March 10, 2010

By 

Myshkin (Stockholm, Sweden) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Zmiros Project (Audio CD)

This CD is one of my top 5 in my collection. The whole world stops when listening to it.