Kol Simcha - A Boom to the Rhythm of Klezmer

A story never fully written down, that of klezmer music (from the Hebrew roots "kli" and "zemer", which together mean "instrument of song"). Yet its tradition, rooted in the Jewish culture of Eastern Europe, is centuries old, far older than the name itself, which first appeared in the United States twenty-five years ago. Until the Second World War, its vital center lay in the "shtetls", villages of Jewish culture scattered across Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Hungary and Lithuania. The compositions, inspired by popular dances and songs, were performed by small ensembles of musicians of humble origin, who played them in taverns and in the streets, and carried them into homes, even the wealthiest, wherever a wedding was being celebrated. That song, which found expression only through instruments - a mix of unrestrained joy and aching melancholy, of intoxication and meditation - enlivened the celebration and, when the rhythm didn't grow too frenzied, accompanied the dancing. The tradition of the wandering little ensembles vanished along with the entire Jewish culture in the years of the tragedy that struck an entire people.

For many years klezmer music fell silent, considered dead in Europe after 1945. But those who had escaped the persecutions kept its flame alive. So, in more recent years, the popular Jewish music of Eastern Europe has risen from its ashes, above all in the United States, and it was only natural that this expression of a minority - already shaped by traditional synagogue chants, Yiddish and Hasidic songs, regional folklore and light or Gypsy music - would merge with that of another minority, the blues and jazz of Black America. Today the genre is widespread in America, enjoys considerable popularity in Europe, and in Italy still remains in the shadows. Credit must therefore go to the Folk Club of Turin, which for the second time has booked the Swiss quintet Kol Simcha, extraordinary creators of klezmer music for our times. A sonic world in which the various influences on the five musicians - American jazz, Balkan music by way of Goran Bregovic, Mediterranean melodies and the sensual rhythms of the Middle East - blend together wonderfully. The European answer to similar American ensembles, they have marked an important milestone in the spread of this musical genre, which has been steadily winning over audiences' tastes.

These are their names: Michael Heitzler and Daniel Fricker, on clarinet and double bass respectively, the core instruments of klezmer music, Oliver Truand on piano, David Klein on drums and Roman Gasler on flute. By David Klein's account - the drummer who entertains audiences with great wit - they must have started out without quite breaking through. He recalls that once, years ago, they found themselves playing in a square in Ireland in front of very few spectators. Among them, a small cluster seemed highly enthusiastic. They thought they had won over the local audience, but it turned out to be Italian tourists. True or not, things have changed over the past five or six years, with success on a constant rise: international awards and accolades, sold-out shows in major theaters, from Carnegie Hall in New York to the Zurich Opera House to the Admiralspalast in Berlin, standing ovations at festivals worldwide, an award for the soundtrack of Link's film "Beyond the Silence", right up to thrilling collaborations with major traditional orchestras, such as those of Lausanne, Fribourg, Nice and Dusseldorf, where their compositions, usually performed as a quintet, don't clash with the orchestral forces but blend in with the boldest mixtures and the most dazzling colors.

A triumph everywhere. Sir Yehudi Menuhin, the great violinist, had this to say about them: "An ensemble driven by the infectious joy of making music, worthy of every superlative. They draw on a repertoire that is essentially their own creation, one that, while remaining within tradition, opens a path toward the future." The five musicians have indeed created a style without equal (in tone and rhythm) that, setting itself apart from the Dixieland-style arrangements of American klezmer orchestras, blends jazz improvisation with the qualities and cultural suggestions that converge in this expression of Jewish musical sensibility. This is how the concept of "contemporary klezmer" was born, further enhanced by the original compositions of flautist Niki Reiser and pianist Olivier Truand. Two of these, "Pentimento" and "Passeggiata a Gerusalemme", included in their concert setlists, prove exceptional for their tonal atmosphere and rhythm, earning round after round of applause.

Crazy Freilach (Klaves, 1996), Klezmer Soul (World Class, 1997) and Traditional Jewish Music (Itm, 1999) are their most compelling works.

Ride the wave of great music

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