Geoff Berner – Victory Party (Mint Records, 2011)
Canadian musician Geoff Berner is part of the new Klezmer music wave. His new album is titled Victory Party. It incorporates traditional klezmer music and songs with a new urban sensibility, as well as punk and new wave elements.
This is Berner’s fifth full length studio album and it was produced by Josh Dolgen. “I know this sounds extreme, but with producer Josh Dolgin’s help, and Mint Records’ backing, I was finally able to realize my potential in the medium of recorded music,” says Berner. “I wanted to make an album that sounded bigger, more “klezmer-ey”, and more transgressive, all at the same time. And I knew I couldn’t do it alone. In fact, I knew that I couldn’t do it without Josh.”
Benjy Fox-Rosen and Michael Winograd traveled from Brooklyn (New York) to play bass and clarinet, respectively. Wayne Adams plays percussion and Diona Davies and Brigitte Dajczer contribute their violins. Winograd and Fox-Rosen are among the first true new klezmorim in 70 years. Benjy and Michael learned to play their instruments by learning klezmer. According to Berner, that really hasn’t happened since before the Holocaust.
“We’re all trying to put out a vision of Jewish culture that’s the opposite of the conservative, knee-jerk pro-Israel, judgmental bullshit that’s emerged in recent decades,” says Berner.
Victory Party is a ferociously powerful snapshot of the new North American klezmer music.
Buy the album:
- In North America: Victory Party. Other recordings available: Whiskey Rabbi, Klezmer Mongrels, The Wedding Dance of the Widow Bride, Light Enough to Travel
- In Europe: Victory Party. Other recordings available: Klezmer Mongrels, The Wedding Dance of the Widow Bride, Light Enough to Travel, Whiskey Rabbi
Author: Angel Romero
Angel Romero y Ruiz has dedicated his life to musical exploration. His efforts included the creation of two online portals, worldmusiccentral.org and musicasdelmundo.com. In addition, Angel is the co-founder of the Transglobal World Music Chart, a panel of world music DJs and writers that celebrates global sounds. Furthermore, he delved into the record business, producing world music studio albums and compilations. His works have appeared on Alula Records, Ellipsis Arts, Indígena Records and Music of the World.