[Harp-L] Review : SHTREIML - Spicy Paprikash

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I have posted a review of Shtreiml's "Spicy Paprikash" on my harmonica 
weblog (http://harmonica.typepad.com). Here are the first few paragraphs to 
whet you interests : 

SHTREIML - Spicy Paprikash 

I know next to nothing about klezmer music. When Jason Rosenblatt and I got 
in touch last year and discussed me reviewing ?Spicy Paprikash?, I told him 
that I had very little background to substantiate a review, but he didn?t 
seem to mind. Maybe it?s better, after all, since I can only base my 
appreciation on what I hear, notwithstanding elements of background on the 
genre. 

Shtreiml is a Quebec based klezmer band with, at its core, five musicians : 
Josh Dolgin on Accordion and Vocals, Thierry Arsenault on Drums, Ariel 
Harrod on Bass, Rachel Lemish on Trombone and the aforementioned Jason 
Rosenblatt on Harmonica and Keyboards. There are also several guests playing 
on the record. It is my understanding from reading the sleeve notes (and 
what little background I do have on Jewish music) that the clarinet is the 
traditional soloist instrument of klezmer, and that is the role that Jason 
is filling with the diatonic harmonica instead. 

The record opens on a fiery original entitled ?Uncle Tibor?s Spicy 
Paprikash?, a minor theme with a suitably eastern oriental feel. It is as 
good an introduction to Jason?s playing as you can get: although he is 
obviously very fluent on the diatonic, Jason doesn?t abuse this fluency in 
needless fireworks, he uses it to forward the feel of the genre, with lots 
of ornamentations and heavy vibratos. Halfway through, unsurprisingly, the 
theme starts again a double the original speed, in a very energetic fashion. 
Great tune, great playing... 

Read the rest on http://harmonica.typepad.com