Search - Flying Bulgar Klezmer Band :: Agada

A Musical Expression of Truth: Closing the Circle

Erika Borsos | Gulf Coast of FL, USA | 12/02/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This CD expresses many of the hopes and feelings of people throughout Eastern Europe (whether or not Jewish, it doesn't matter): for peace, justice, & happiness. It ends with an eery haunting, ecstatic Chassidic tune, which can be traced back to a yeshiva student from southern Slovakia, who heard it in the Yiddish theater in Vienna between WWI & II, this song alone is worth the price of the CD. Other tracks on the CD contain musical expressions (without vocals) of these feelings, the most astonishing and fantastic klezmer rhythms & music ever played: on a wailing clarinet, saxophone, & sometimes taragato, with occasional accompaniment on a piano, or at times the trumpet, alto horn, or fluegelhorn take top billing (sounds a lot like a Macedonian, Romanian, or Serbo-Croatian Brass band at times, which is a very good thing!). The sincere and yearning Yiddish vocals by Allan Merovitz are an pure pleasure to hear. Some tunes arise from Russian origins ("High Noon in Volgograd"), one is a sea song, the lyrics of which were written somewhere between 1075 and 1141 by Yehuda Ha-Levi while the music and translation are from the early 19th century.



This CD is jam-packed with presence and spiritual reality, derived from oral tradition and musical apprenticeship ... a treasure chest of discoveries from the past. "Bukoviner Freylekshs" one of the tracks, most likely arose from Croatia or Serbia - from areas known today as "Bukovina". The Yiddish tunes arise from many sources, the liner notes credit Rabbi Eisik of Kalev, 200 years ago adapting Hungarian shepherd's songs, which have become "among the most popular in the hasidic repertoire" ... I have yet to discover what songs and tunes these are but I am diligently searching. They add "everyone knows where they came from and no one seems to care". The beauty of this statement is the recognition that truth is universal. Music is one great expression of it: it is something all people, regardless of religon or beliefs can agree upon. Let the dancing begin: listening to this CD, you will be brought to your feet (& possibly compelled to sing in Yiddish, too). Tremendously enjoyable liner notes inlcude: an inroduction discussing the origin of the word, "Agada" & excellent background information about klezmer music and the circle connecting it from past to present, a brief sentence or two about each song/music, and the words in Yiddish and a translation for those of us, that always want to know ... all-in-all compelling lyrics and music to match!! A JEWEL, A GEM OF A CD ... KLEZMER MUSIC AT ITS VERY BEST! Erika Borsos (erikab93)"

You never heard Klezmer better than on this one!

03/19/1999

(5 out of 5 stars)

"If you like modern-style Klezmer music, such as produced by the Klezmatics, you will love this Canadian production. The various pieces have an amazing variety in mood, instrumentation, and style. Both the instruments and the vocals are superb. The best CD I have heard this year."