The Klezmer genre has been reaching new heights of popularity through the efforts of individuals such as clarinetist Don Byron and avant-gardist John Zorn's Radical Jewish Music series. The New Orleans Klezmer Allstars add a flare of New Orleans funk and march cadence to an already eclectic brew harkening to Eastern European dance music and jazz.
Within this accordion, clarinet and snare-drum-dominated stew, every gesture sounds like a celebration. Wedding and birthday music mixed with screwball humor are given an uptempo treatment that sounds like it was founded in the '60s free-jazz movement. Although this recording is rewarding, it still sounds like beta test software next to the mule kick of their live concerts.
