MAZEL - Un Brukhe

1. Tante Dreidl / Aunt Dreydl (M.Moeller) 4:03  
2. Doina/Di Saposhkelekh / To Sell Shoes (trad.) 5:03
3. Di grine kuzine / Greenhorn cousin (Schwartz/Leiserowitz) 2:41
4. A heyser bulgar / Hot Bulgar (trad. /H.Kandel) 6:08
5. “Schindler’s List" theme (J. Williams) 5:43  
6. Freylekh / Joy (trad.) 4:38
7. Papir iz dokh vays / White is paper (trad.) 2:09
8. Honga (trad.) 3:55
9. Khosidl / Little Hassid (trad.) 4:42  
10. Yidl mitn fidl I Yidl with Fiddle (I.Manger/A. Ellstein) 2:26  
11. Punkt / Point (C.Mathiesen) 3:27
12. Silver Wedding (trad./Curtis) 3:42
13. Oyfn pripetshik / At the fireplace (M.Warshavsky) 3:31
 

wykonawcy:
Anna Gwozdz - violin
Claus Mathiesen - clarinet
Rasim Durakovic - accordion
Michael Moeller - double bass, guitar, mandolin, bouzouki
Ronen Thalmay - vocal
guest musician:
Benita Haastrup - percussion

recorded at Soundscape Studios, Copenhagen, June 2004
sound engineering: Louise Nipper,
label : tylkomuzyka.pl 2006
cat no: TCD 010

The Mazel group was created in 1998. They have been noted for successful interpretation of Klezmer music. By their concerts in Denmark and Southern Scandinavia, Mazel bring their audience closer to discovered anew music of vanished world of shtetlekh – Jewish little towns, manor wedding with Jewish band, nostalgia of emigrants. Popular soloists performed with the group, among them famous actress of Stockholm Dramaten – Basia Frydman. In 2003 the musicians were invited by outstanding Danish dancer Alexander Koelpin to take part in the International Dance festival in Copenhagen. Music ornamentation of Ibsen’s Doll’s House was met with enthusiasm. 
The band performed several times in Danish radio and television and represented Denmark at WOMEX Fare in Essen 2002. Mazel’s first CD Mazel Tov, which appeared in autumn 2001, was applauded by critics and nominated for the Folk Album of the Year.

It’s our great luck there exist people who by their music give new meaning to old tunes. One could think that Klezmer repertoire is a “close book” – but you keep in your hands the album filled with ‘live’, truthful and extremely emotional music. The music of Mazel group.
Nowadays more and more often we come back to Klezmer repertoire. We can distinguish two trends of its interpretation – traditional and progressive. Yet there exists a trend ‘in between’, scooping from traditional repertoire, though by new arrangement ideas and far from banal interpretation, striding far from canonical interpretation. Such is the Danish group Mazel.
In terms of repertoire their newest CD “Mazel un Brukhe” is very well composed. Either songs or traditional instrumental pieces are arranged in extremely unique way. Among the pearls we can definitely count the theme from Schindler’s List arranged anew and two compositions of the group (Tante Dreidl and Punkt) which are perfectly written in stylistics of the album. So we can find in the album both instrumental pieces and songs. The compositions in sequence are contrasted not only in expression and tempo but in arrangement and instruments as well, which makes us not bored while listening the whole album. Moreover each separate piece brings a load of surprise. 
The musical colorfulness was definitely influence by wide education and experience of the group members, as well as their different roots. Hence the artists move well not only in Klezmer world of sound but in classical and folk repertoire of different parts of the world. This musical multi-culture we can strongly feel also in this CD. 
Dave Krakauer once stated that performing Klezmer music one must remember two things. The first is continuation of Jewish tradition along with melody form, ornamentation and the way of phrasing and instrumentation. The other concerns new compositions which, for the sake of preserving tradition, should be improvised on old melodies. Mazel fulfils both the postulates, moreover reaches the audience with individual and sublime music, far from convention. The music which is result of their of creative search.

Magdalena Gaisek