Records: The Klezmatics and Chava Alberstein's The Well

By Jeff Perlman

The Klezmatics are a hip bunch of thirty-something stoners who play klezmer--Jewish secular music with Eastern European roots. Klezmer, though probably not the musical genre of choice for the average 18- to 24-year-old listener, is actually a helluva lot cooler than that "Havah Nagila" crap you hear at every bar mitzvah, and with which you no doubt associate Jewish music.

Chava Alberstein is a renowned Israeli folk diva. She has joined creative forces with the Klezmatics, and the fruit of this seemingly traditional marriage is The Well, an album of Yiddish poems from the first half of the century set to music by these artists.

The result is a sparkling, passionate recording which can be appreciated by anyone; no knowledge of Yiddish is necessary. While the music is newly composed, it is in the style of Yiddish music of old, using traditional rhythms, modes, and instruments such as the clarinet, accordion, and tsimbl (hammered dulcimer). It is outwardly simple, yet subtly complex--it is the music of the people.

Like the poetry itself, the music traverses a vast range of emotions, but always with an overtone of sadness mingled with hope. (After all, it is the product of a people who have been oppressed for centuries.) The lyrics deal with topics such as love, loss, escape, old age, faith, desire, and, of course, wine. From the haunting "Umetik" ("Lonesome") to the fun-loving "Zelkhes Neydl S'nemt a Bokher" ("Any Girl who Takes a Boyfriend"), which proclaims, "A girl should have a pair of boys/ one to go and fight the foe/ one to stay and give away his life to her," the music is always unpretentious and alive, pulling the listener into the rich tradition out of which it was born.

Alberstein's versatile singing style ranges from smooth and tender to faint and dreamy, now and again enhanced by raspy conviction. When vocalist Lorin Sklamberg sings, he does it with the voice of an angel. But the listener always feels the rest of the band right there with the singers, driving the music, creating lush textures, and crying, moaning, and laughing with their instruments when appropriate.

If you're looking for some good, old-fashioned hora dance music, try earlier Klezmatics albums like Rhythm and Jews or Jews With Horns. Those records exude a high level of energy, have better titles, and are, frankly, a lot more fun in some ways. But if you are looking for passionate music that will wash over you and touch your soul, let your ears drink from The Well. (Green Linnet)

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