Burning Bush
'
Music of the Old Jewish World
is a collection of
Jewish music
spanning the full range of the Diaspore. The Ashkenazi songs of Europe are represented; the Ladino songs of the Sephardim are represented; the works from the North African arm of the Diaspore are represented; the Eastern European innovations that came after the expulsion from Iberia are represented; and a semi-
traditional
form of
klezmer
is represented; all within the course of a single hour-long disc. As much as possible, the instrumentation native to the region of origin for a given song is used. As
is really a cultural troupe, their abilities manifest themselves more in breadth than in depth. It's not the best
you'll ever hear, but it's good. It's not the best Sephardic singing you'll ever hear, but it's good. Such is the case with the whole of their music. As such, this album (and others by them) makes for an outstanding introduction into the varied forms of
, giving the listener a good head start into discovering new styles, which they can then follow up on with other artists in each subgenre. The Hassidic frenzies that they go into here are really something worth hearing, as is the
they slip into from time to time. The Eastern European medleys that they run through are worthwhile for the purpose of hearing some fine dulcimer playing, if nothing else (
Jon Banks
is a master of the tsimbl, cimbalom, qanun, and other such dulcimers).
Lucie Skeaping
's enunciation is always intensely perfect, but seems somewhat forced in the process at times. The instrumental portions are the most noteworthy aspect of the whole, as the band can both rush through a thrashing of
horn arrangements, and pull off a soft string arrangement equally well. For a basic introduction into the diverse forms of
, this album is quite a worthwhile choice. ~ Adam Greenberg