Although their roots are firmly in the klezmer tradition,
Klezmer Juice
are anything but a traditional band. Yes, there's clarinet as a lead instrument, superbly played by
Gustavo Bulgach
, but there's also guitar and electric bass, both of which bring strong contributions to the sounds (guitarist
Ken Rosser
even pulls out the electric sitar on one track to bring a touch of Eastern promise). Overall, it's Jewish music more than straight klezmer, bringing in tango (
"Librescu Tango,"
written in memory of a victim of the Virginia Tech shootings) and even a Jewish tinged
"Miserlu."
But at the same time there's plenty of old material, including a very spirited
"Hava Nagila."
As well played and thoughtfully arranged as you'd expect from a bunch of Grammy nominees, it's energetic and played with plenty of heart, a disc that can bear -- even demands -- repeated listenings. ~ Chris Nickson