David Krakauer ~ Bubbemeises
In which prominent
klezmer clarinettist David Krakauer takes a decided left turn and works with
producer Socalled to produce an album of klezmer hiphop. The result is an
ebullient mix of the original Arabic/Balkan/gypsy hybrid with a variety of
contemporary musical creeds in a highly cosmopolitan whirl of an album. David
Krakauer leads the way like a merry, occasionally crazed, pied piper. The
title track mixes Krakauer’s age-old musical cry with a stomping hiphop
beat and ends with a wise rap that encourages the listener, amongst other
things, to “get off the table otherwise you’ll never get married”.
Elsewhere on B Flat A La Socalled klezmer goes electro-lounge and on Turntable
Pounding it gets down and dirty with heavy metal guitar and Jewish choir.
The result is a compellingly infectious brew which, spilling over with incongruous,
but ultimately convincing juxtapositions, proves thoroughly ancient to the
future. No such thing as pure and unadulterated here, thank goodness. Bubbemeises’s
musical tapestry is a persuasive plea not just for healthy co-existence, but
fun-filled interaction.
Colin Buttimer
August 2005
Published by Jazzwise
magazine