Oi! What a week for Raoul Hawkins, the man behind the name, behind the stage name, of Zeppo Zimmerman, founder & leader of Klezmer Connexion. Firstly, KC's charismatic, real-deal Yiddisher singer, Faye Sussman, was diagnosed with vocal nodules, complete rest being the prescription. Secondly, Robin, from Azadoota, with whom Hawkins has forged a partnership in a new band, The Honest Gypsies, hot on the heels of avery well-patronised and received gig, pulled the plug, at least for now, in deference to focus on his main band. The Honest Gypsies were to play last night, at 505, it was good, ol' KC that took to the stage. But wait! Aren't they dancing to a different drummer? Yep, to top it all off, they had to recruit an unrehearsed fill-in, at the eleventh hour. So it was, against all these odds, that KC turned-on, if not their outright best, near as dammit, in two very distinctive sets, judiciously jazz-inflected, to suit the vibe of the venue.Araber Tantz (Arab Dance) opened the bidding. A klezmer classic, it is, in mood, melody, meter and intensity, the epitome of soulful Yiddish music, and KC delivers an impassioned reading. In fact, you won't find a more distinctive version this side of the David Orlowski Trio's gentlly jazz-inflected flamencoesque rendition. A Hanukkah song so popular its ubiquity has extended to almost any simcha, it suffices as a time-tunnel, taking us back four or even five-hundred years, into the claustrophobic communities ensconced in the shtetls and ghettos of Central & Eastern Europe.
The Happy Tailor also starts as a tail-dragging dirge, but this soon shows itself to be a taunting deception, as it builds into a sensuous, frenetic freilach (it means happy), with spirited, playful, even mischievous characteristics. Out front, as always, is Zimmerman, on sax (replacing the more traditional clarinet), mellifluous and magical, a snake-charming minstrel that could've kept Adam & Eve out of the doghouse.
KC then steps outside of the klezmer label, to allow room for the honeyed vocals of Kees Steen, with his original ballad, Lost In Love. A thing of beauty.
Winter In Berlin was written in winter, in Berlin, at a loose end, while Zimmerman gravitated indoors, by the heater. Time well-spent, as it's also well-and-truly deserving of the word beautiful.
Bent Bareh comes, as best I know, from Algerian singer, Cheb Mami, who's worked with Sting, and, thus, is a meeting of Jewish and Arabic cultural influences which, unlike the political gulfs which sometimes arise, have never been far removed from one another. Nonetheless, the Arabic form is much more in evidence and quite distinguishable.
Odessa Bulgar brings us back to the heartland of klezmer, with a Romanian flavour. There are countless bulgars, or traditional dances, this being one of the best. Despite its unmistakably celebratory disposition, it somehow simultaneously distils tragedy and defiance as well, from the opening bars. If this doesn't get your pulse racing and your mojo up, you're doomed to respond to those God-awful television ads featuring dubious piano duets and such.
Ay Giz is tear-jerkingly mournful, in the best and most moving possible way.
Caravan, of course, also steps outside the trad, but Ellington's immortal number certainly intuits and interpolates more than a little of the essential flavours of klezmer. (Of course, I say Ellington, but in fact there's some conjecture and controversy as to who was involved and whether or not they received due credit, or remuneration. In the '30s, royalties were relative and often were settled with a flat fee: desperate, hungry musicians, it seems, would be subject to desperate measures. In this case, it's been alleged lyricist Irving Mills paid composer Juan Tizol just 25 dollars for this surpassing melody, arranged by the aforementioned genius of Duke and, thereby, effectively co-written.) KC's is, again, a highly distinctive take and, I note, Zimmerman bills it as a 'haunting Middle Eastern ballad', so perhaps it has roots of which I'm oblivious that reach much further back than the jazz age.
In the second bracket, Moji presented yet another chance for Zimmerman's enchanting sax to shine. His unmistakably modest demeanour, tending towards the self-deprecating, can't mask his virtuosity, or musicality, both of which are striking and make for, as i've observed before, mesmerising klezmerising.
Among the remaining tunes, Czardas struck a personal chord, by dint of a Hungarian background and formative fascination with this stirring national dance. As usual, KC gives it a unique stamp.
Whether new to klezmer, or weaned on it, Klezmer Connexion is one of the best, most accessible vehicles to initiate or continue your connection. If you like your music infused with Gypsy, cabaret, Arabic, Yiddish or other influences, or just long for anything reminiscent of Old Europe, KC is here, to spread a little sunshine into dark corners, as well as cast a few shadows over naively optimistic or overly romantic views of life. Trials, tribulations, love, sorrow, poignancy and pathos. It's all there. When they play, you should be too.
Klezmer Connexion
Venue: 505 | cnr Cleveland and Perry Streets, Surry Hills
Date: October 30, 2010
Time: 8:30pm. Doors open 7:30pm
Tickets: $15/10
Bookings: http://www.venue505.com
