David Krakauer - Klezmer Madness (1995)

David Krakauer's Klezmer Madness sits on the edge of the Klezmer tradition and is always jabbing at its boundaries. The music is always a little bit more unbridled, a bit more passionate, and a tad more discordant than your bubbe's klezmer records, which is not to say that it falls into the same camp as other punk, pop, or jazz-oriented groups that treat klezmer like a quaint novelty. Krakauer, with his virtuoso clarinet playing and incredibly tight and talented backing band, always shows respect for the heart of klezmer music – these songs orbit around a pure core. The only tune which truly journeys out into left field is "Living With the H," which deconstructs and reassembles the ubiquitous classic "Hava Nagila," a song which almost begs to be messed with. The effect is not unlike a jazz band who can tip their hats to tradition without having to hash out another tired version of "My Foolish Heart." Krakauer has accepted that klezmer has never been a static form of music and has no problem imbuing his own sense of creativity into Klezmer Madnesswithin the constraints of this classic style.


Tracklist:
1. Africa Bulgar (trad., arr. Krakauer) 3:42
2. Bogota Bulgar (trad. arr. Krakauer/Alpert/Ortega) 4:06
3. A few bowls Terkish (trad., arr. Krakauer/Alpert) 4:37
4. At the Rabbi's Table (trad., arr. Coleman) 5:14
5. Doina / Death March Suite (trad., various) 10:32
6. Funky Dave (Tarras, arr. Krakauer/Rogers) 4:17
7. the Ballad of Chernobyl (lyrics: Michael Alpert; music: trad., Alpert/Coleman) 5:19
8. Gong Doina (Krakauer/Licht) 2:19
9. Living with the H Tune (trad., arr. Krakauer/Alpert) 6:03
10. Rachab (John Zorn) 1:27