David Krakauer & Jovino Santos Neto

This past month at NYC's Symphony Space, David Krakauer's Klezmer Madness and the Jovino Santos Neto Quinteto effectively highlighted how ethnically based folk music can provide inspiration for modern musicians to develop their own distinctive approaches. In pianist Neto's case, he builds upon the forros, maracatus and bai㯳 of Northeastern Brazil to create colorful contemporary jazz while clarinetist Krakauer draws on Jewish bulgars, freylekhs and doinas to ground new musical creations. The Quinteto performed selected cuts from their Latin Grammy nominated CD Canto Do Rio and Klezmer Madness delighted with their original brand of klez-jazz-funk that prominently features samples and beats courtesy of DJ SoCalled.

David Krakauer
Music From the Winery
Tzadik
2004

Krakauer's latest CD, Music from the Winery , is a retrospective of the klezmer music series he curated at NYC's Tonic. In addition to memorable Klezmer Madness performances like the moving concert opener "Der Gasn Nign", a traditional "Chusidl" is spiced up by the youthful Klezminors, Charm City Klezmer provides its fresh take on Yiddish theatre and Metropolitan Klezmer's "doina" builds into an all out Hasidic free-for-all. Additional Krakauer collaborations with DJ SoCalled and electric violinist Sophie Solomon reinterpret the traditional "Bb Bulgar" and show the past its future on a moving "Electro Taxim". Whereas Krakauer's powerful horn owes allegiance to klezmer clarinet patriarch Naftule Brandwein, Margot Leverett's elegant style and judicious use of ornamentation is more in the tradition of Shloimke Beckerman. Her trio's performance of "Tayere Odessa" is a thing of beauty. Italy based Meshuge Klezmer, who have released their own live at the Tonic CD, serve up a fusion version of "Berdichiever Khosid" before Sway Machinery bring to mind guitarist Dick Dale on their rockin' "Schwier und Schweigger". Female klezmer supergroup Mikveh, with violinist Alicia Svigals, adeptly navigates the changing tempos of heartfelt nign and up-tempo freylekh while Basya Schechter and Pharaoh's Daughter show that they can both jam with the Krakman on "West African Nign".

Jovino Santos Neto Quinteto
Canto Do Rio
Liquid City
2003

Canto Do Rio presents a smorgasboard of NE Brazilian styles in a decidedly modern context. Neto plays a potent piano and the dual horns of Hans Teuber and Harvey Wainapel make for a crisp sound. Such is the case on "Guanabara", as clarinet and soprano sax melodically converse, and the percussively interesting "Pedra Branca". Jeff Busch is a master of the various Brazilian rhythms and native percussive instruments that give this music its wonderful texture. He comes to the fore with drummer Mark Ivester to add depth to the dueling altos of "Batuki di Bangu" and Chuck Deardorf's ethereal bass line on the hauntingly beautiful "Sempre Sim". Both Krakauer and Neto through their individualistic styles accent a pride in their musics' origins combined with an excitement for its future.

Music From the Winery

Tracks: 1.Bb Bulgar 2.Berogovski Tish Nign/Bagopolier Freylekhs/Liebes Tanz 3.Old Country Madness! 4.West African Niggun 5.Berdichiever Khosid 6.Der Gasn Nign 7.Rumanian Medley: Doina, Sirba, Volokh 8.Schwier Und Schweigger 9.Lomir Zikh Iberbetn 10.Chusidl 11.Tayere Odessa 12.Electro Taxim 13.Confession


Personnel: Charm City Klezmer, Klezmer Madness Quartet, Margot Leverett Trio, Meshuge Klezmer Band, Metropolitan Klezmer, Mikveh, Pharoah's Daughter, Socalled and Krakauer, Solomon and Krakauer, The Klezminors, The Sway Machinery

Canto Do Rio

Tracks: 1.Guanabara 2.Primavera em Flor 3.Pedra Branca 4.Guaratiba 5.Sempre Sim 6.Batuki di Bangu 7.Feira Livre 8.Ciranda Chegada 9.Ciranda Roda 10.Comichao 11.Canto do Rio


Personnel: Jovino Santos Neto (Fender Rhodes, piano, accordian & percussion), Chuck Deardorf (electric & acoustic basses), Mark Ivester (drums)Jeff Busch (percussion - pandeiro, berimbau, zabumba, triangle, surdo, congas, bells, shakers and effects), Hans Teuber (flute, soprano, alto and tenor saxophones)with special guests: Harvey Wainapel (clarinet, soprano, alto and tenor saxophones), Flora McGill (voice on Primavera em Flor, Sempre Sim and Canto do Rio, percussion on Batuki di Bangu), Mike Marshall (mandolin on Guaratiba), Pemambuco (vocal interpretation in Batuki di Bangu).