Customer Reviews

The Zmiros Project

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

 

 

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!

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.

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