Sy Kushner is considered one of the finest and leading accordionists and innovators in the field of Jewish Music. He uses the accordion, alto sax, string bass, clarinet, trombone and drums in a manner not previously heard in Jewish music. He also introduced and included tsimbal in the ensamble, which made it sound really authentic. One of the Sy's recent efforts in the Field of Jewish Music has been the transcription of 40 classic Klezmer tunes. He transcribed the exact ornaments and melismas that were played by the Klezmer greats of the past, so that anyone interested in Klezmer music today can learn the traditional style. The term KLEZMER comes from two Hebrew words: KLEI (instrument) and ZEMER (song) i.e. an instrument of song. The combination of these two words became the term used to describe musicians playing Jewish music at weddings, etc. On a personal note, the music Sy Kushner plays felt familiar immediately, because of my South Balkan background. Typical rhythms of 3/8 and 9/8 and melody coloured with ornaments, melismas and threls, are result of a direct influence of the Middle Eastern and Gypsy musical cultures. This CD would certainly be very entertaining for people who enjoy Jewish music. |
