Like most Jews I think plainly that most Jewish music sucks, at least the stuff that is mainstream and the rest of it I never can find it on the used rack in my local record shop. Yesterday I happened to be in Rochester and was able to hit up one of my favorite used CD stores and stumbled across an amazing find. I found what I will term Jew-Grass, an album featuring World famous jazz Flutist Andy Statman and one of the more famous mandolin players David Grisman combing their talents to make an album called New Shabbos Waltz.
I popped in the CD into my cars 8 speaker stereo system and was wowed at what I was hearing. Not only was it incredibly different than the traditional MBD, Black Hattitude and Blue Fringe crap that occupies the shelves at Eichlers and other fine seforim stores, it was incredibly talented. Well how could it not be after all Dave has collaborated with Jerry Garcia many a time and whoever gets to jam with Jerry rocks in my book.
The melodies were just your basic traditional shull songs, like anim zemiros, avinu malkenu and licha dodi. But when played with a mandolin, flute, guitar and fiddle they do not sound traditional anymore. I was in heaven, finally I could have something Jewish to play in thecar when I have a passenger who did not listen to secular music. Usually all I have is Matisyahu, Simon and Garfunkel, Disturbed and Anthrax as my Jewish music.
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Hey… You might be interested to know this isn’t their first album like it. This is a sequel so to speak of their first album Songs of our Fathers.
Also, if you look on Amazon it seems that Statman at least has several other Jewish themed albums out there as well.
Personaly I cant stand Statmans solo stuff- although it is very good, it is just too sad and slow. Throw some other folks and he can rock it out.
Actually, Andy and Jerry have jammed together on several of Jerry’s lesser known side-projects during the 70s. He was Grisman’s protege for a time. As a youngster in Astoria, Andy got hooked on bluegrass, but there wasn’t much in the way of that in Queens. He had heard of the folk scene that existed in The Village, which Grisman was a big part of back in the day. He used to hitchike to The Village from Astoria just to receive lessons from Grisman. In his earliest days, Andy was a bluegrass picker himself, but then, like his master, moved on.
I admit, I’m not much for Klezmer, but I like hearing Andy play just because he really is an accomplished musician. I’ve seen him play live numerous times (every Mon. and Thurs. nite at the Charles Street Synagogue in The West Village at 8pm Standard Jewish Time). I finally got to meet Grisman as well last May at BB Kings. He’s chill. Apparently, they still jam together a lot, Grisman’s told me. I’d love to see that live one day.
If I may reccomend one track worth checking out, it’s “Kazatski” on their album “Songs of our Fathers”. This track is kind of a “dueling mandolins” between Statman and Grisman. KICK ASS! I’ve heard this one many times and Bar Mitzvas/Weddings, but Statman and Grisman give it that Jewgrass twang, in the words of the liner notes, doused with Schlivovitz instead of Bourbon.
Also worth checking out is their album “Between Heaven and Earth”, where they abandon the old heimish klezmer and go for a more Coltrainish avant-garde sound. They are joined by jazz pianist Kenny Warner and banjoist Bela Flek. This album changed the way I looked at Jewish music forever. I’ve always been into old school Hassidic niggunim, but at a time when I was beginning to get more into progressive jazz and jam-bandy stuff, this album showed me that even more ‘heimish’ music can have its musical value. “Songs of our Fathers” is more traditional Carlebach Jewgrassed up, but “Between Heaven and Earth” is much more ambiti0us, and much more breakthrough.
Finally, if I may disagree with previous poster, his first solo album, “Andy’s Ramble”, is pretty much straight-up bluegrass, and if bluegrass is your thing, it is totally worth checking out. Especially “Up in the Morning”, “Andy’s Ramble”, and “Avenue L Breakdown” (who knew, Flatbush-grass? He also has a “Flatbush Waltz” on “Songs of our Fathers” which is worth it).