Frank London
A Night in the Old Marketplace
Soundbrush 2007
01. The Bottom of the Well
02. What Is Man's Worth?
03. Nosn's Vision
04. Madness
05. The Tale of the Drowned Klezmorim
06. A Word
07. One Prayer/One Lullaby
08. Forever Yours
09. Meet Me in the Old Marketplace
10. The Ten Faces of G-d
11. The Saga of the Singers of Brod
12. Call It Disappointing
13. I'll Make Such Wonders
14. Canon of the Dead
15. It Doesn't Matter
16. Is There Room on Earth?
17. Desire It
18. God's Reply to Job
19. Perhaps I Went Too Far
20. All Is Vanity
21. A Tavern in Pinsk
A Night in the Old Marketplace was written 100 years ago by one of the three great titans of Yiddish literature, I.L. Peretz. In its original form, this play is a polyphonic labyrinth of faith, unbelief, anger, and ghoulish humor, hundreds of characters all coming together around a ghost story of epic proportions. Director Alexandra Arons decided to adapt this unadaptable play, which was a brave move; she signed up hip playwright Glen Berger to adapt it into light opera songs, which was also brave. But her masterstroke was getting Frank London to compose an original score. Member of the great American band the Klezmatics, London is a most intriguing talent of our time. Not only an amazing trumpet player (the wizard behind the solo on L.L. Cool J's 'Goin' Back to Cali') - he is also a songwriter and composer of rare creativity, as he has been showing in the project known as Brotherhood of Brass.
The idea of a London-composed event based on Peretz' mystical play is the kind of thing that music nerds can salivate all over. And the music on this CD lives up to everything they'd hope for. London's score is thrillingly ambitious. It incorporates all kinds of Jewish music, from klezmer and other populist forms, to classically "religious" segments. There are also passages that resemble typical musical theater ballads ('It Doesn't Matter'), Sondheim-esque puzzle songs ('Call It Disappointing'), and some that seem to span all these forms ('Madness', 'The Ten Faces of G-d'). What klezmer, and Lincoln in particular, reminds us, is that hope in the midst of suffering is not only defiance, but it is what separates us from apes. -PMT
>> fsend / mfire (78mb) The idea of a London-composed event based on Peretz' mystical play is the kind of thing that music nerds can salivate all over. And the music on this CD lives up to everything they'd hope for. London's score is thrillingly ambitious. It incorporates all kinds of Jewish music, from klezmer and other populist forms, to classically "religious" segments. There are also passages that resemble typical musical theater ballads ('It Doesn't Matter'), Sondheim-esque puzzle songs ('Call It Disappointing'), and some that seem to span all these forms ('Madness', 'The Ten Faces of G-d'). What klezmer, and Lincoln in particular, reminds us, is that hope in the midst of suffering is not only defiance, but it is what separates us from apes. -PMT
>> love it, buy it (CD Baby)
"Make your way, make your way
Purgatory is open today
No need to solicit God's grace
To come to the old marketplace"
(RIP Pavarotti, #4 is for you)
3 comments:
great klezmer!
omg, now this sounds exciting
I love the tale of the drowned klezmorim. It sounds like like a Jewish Decemberists, sort of. Great lyrics.
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