Muzsikas

This album is the end result of a period of research on the part of the members of Muzsikas into the music of Hungarian Jews before the war. Their journeys through the lore and music were helped primarily by a pair of pre-war musicians that played regularly for Jewish events, violinist Gheorge Covaci and cimbalom player Arpad Toni. After digging out old transcriptions from Hungarian ethnomusicologists and digging into the memories and repertoires of the two old players, the band decided to record their findings. Covaci and Toni take part in the whole of the album, taking the lead quite ably throughout the majority, no less. The music on the whole tends to switch off and on between being reminiscent of old-style klezmer and unchanged gypsy music from anywhere in the Balkans. The inclusion of the cimbalom often turns the focus toward similarities with Rom music from the area (which, of course, it should), and the motifs followed by Covaci and the rest of the group occasionally do the same. The music is generally relatively joyous (being largely repertoires remembered from wedding dances and the like), though there's always a more somber note hidden within the structures here and there. The performance itself is nothing short of outstanding, with the younger members of Muzsikas flawlessly combining with the old masters for a coherent and full sound. Give the album a listen as a fan of Muzsikas looking to see what they can do outside of their usual gypsy fare, or as a curious researcher looking for the variety of music encompassed under the name of Judaism. ~ Adam Greenberg, All Music Guide