Routes
Beyond the Pale
The Borealis Recording Company Ltd.
2001
12 tracks
Two musical styles that intrigue and often surprise me are zydeco and klezmer. Both of these styles are deeply rooted in long-standing musical traditions, yet they continue to to evolve and to assimilate contemporary elements without losing that which makes them distinctive, their soul as it were. Where and when I grew up, most kids who took music lessons took not piano but accordion lessons and the radio airwaves were filled with the accordion-based music of band leaders like Gaby Haas and Frankie Yankovic. I think part of what fascinates me about zydeco and klezmer is that, being very accordion-centric, they manage to never sound dated.
Toronto folk ensemble Beyond the Pale brings to klezmer a freshness that is rare in the world of folk music today. As performed by this group, this is not dead or dying music of some past era but something alive and vital growing out of today's culture while retaining the best of the past. Although clearly serious about playing this music well and with respect, Beyond the Pale brings to the performance a certain sense of humour that adds a further dimension to this multi-facetted genre.
The traditional music of eastern-European Jews, klezmer has always been influenced by the culture in which it lives and has incorporated or at least been influenced by the best bits as it spread across Europe, through New York City to the rest of America, and into Montreal and Toronto and other parts of Canada. Originally a regional folk tradition, klezmer has become very much a world-music.
Beginning with the apparent pun in its title, Routes [routes music?], this release plays with the nature of klezmer music while keeping intact its traditional nature. It would be hard to listent to this music and remain serious for long.
"Chasenjah" presents a melding of cultures which at first might seem improbable but actually works well. With a title that marries the Yiddish word for wedding with Rastafarian word for God, this song is klezmer with a reggae rhythm. The reggae sounds very European. The klezmer sounds very Jamaican, but with a jazzy "Midnight in Moscow" edge to it. The whole thing sounds very cool.
Guest vocalist Dave Wall provides passionate performances on two of the songs on Routes. "Vander Ich Mir Lustig" is an interesting blend of traditional and more modern klezmer with just a bit of some classic Chopin thrown in for spice. "Vodka" is a soulful, very Russian-sounding song (the lyrics mix Yiddish and Russian and the melody has a very Russian feel) with a melancholy story like "There Stands the Glass" in Yiddish. A nice touch is that the liner notes include English translations of these two lyrics.
Although Routes includes four original compositions by Eric Stein, these songs settle comfortably into the modern-traditional ambience set by the rest of this release. Without reading the liner notes, it would be difficult to distinguish these four songs from the traditional numbers.
Like a dozen Kinder Eggs, the songs on this release at first present a simple surface but each has at its centre a wonderful surprise. In some songs, the prize is near the surface and easily discovered. In other songs, some assembly is required and it takes a few listens pick up all the nuances and discover what a treat the song really is. In the end, the entire album is a delight not just for the ears but for the intellect.
If you'd like more information about this Canadian folk ensemble, enter the cosmopolitan world of Beyond the Pale at www.beyondthepale.net. You can listen to mp3 clips of five of the songs on Routes here, as well as clips from their new release Concensus.
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Review written: March 16, 2005
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