Isle of Klezbos – Live from Brooklyn

Live from Brooklyn combines the joyous sound of the venerated klezmer tradition with the dark, sensual feel of a jazz club. Classics of the genre include “Uncle Moses Wedding Dance,” the raucous opening track; “Weary Sun Tango,” adapted from a well-known Soviet-era Russian melody; and “Revery in Hijaz,” a mystical melody inflected with classical flair. Melissa Fogarty contributes a thrilling scat vocal to “Abi Gezunt,” with lyrics by Yiddish theater legend Molly Picon. The record also includes inventive original compositions from the band members: the lilting klezmer-reggae hybrid “Mello Manna” by Pam Fleming; “Noiresque,” a brooding and evocative jazz soundscape by Debra Kreisberg; and the sweeping “East Hapsburg Waltz” by Eve Sicular. As an example of their whimsical humor, the charming chamber piece “When Gomer Met Molly” is adapted from the underscoring of the 1960s TV comedy “Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.”

“A robustly recorded romp that perfectly captures the sumptuous sound of the ensemble.” — HEEB Magazine
“Brilliant, Intense, Eclectic…intoxicating mix of a hundred years worth of classic and original klezmer, Latin, jazz and film music” — New York Music Daily

“Lively and melodic jazz and tango-laced pieces” —The Jewish Week

And as New York Music Daily also notes: “the album comes with fascinating liner notes that trace the origins of these tunes along with how the band was able to track them down: it’s as rich in history as it is in emotion, energy and tunefulness.”