Also by artists who played here:
Don Byron / plays the music of Mickey Katz
Andy Statman Quartet / Between Heaven and Earth
Guy Klucevsek / Transsylvanian Softwear. Not klez. Damn good.
Geduldig un Thimann
A Haymish GrooveExtraplatte, 1992
Die Extraplatte
A-1094 Vienna/Austria P.o.b. 2
Tel. +31 01 084 / Fax: +31 00 324
Geduldig un Thimann /
A Haymish Groove
- der Kamenitser khossed, Andy Statman Klezmer Orchestra (trad.) 1:57
- Chanukka, Andy Statman Klezmer Orchestra (trad., adapted A.Statman / text: Rivseman, G&T) 1:57
- Vallakh, (composed & arranged Mark Feldman) 6:40
- di Zokenmakherkes, Ruth Rubin (text: A. Litvin / arr. & adapted by RR) 1:46
- eyn luftmensch in Lahore, The Orchestra of Excited Strings w/Andy Statman (composed & arr. Arnold Dreyblatt) 3:53
- borukh ato, Andy Statman Klezmer Orchestra (trad., adapted & arr. AS) 3:20
- Kotsk, Ruth Rubin (adapted & arr. RR) 2:14
- Stetl Metl (composed & arr. Elliott Sharp from trad.) 4:59
- Zhankoye, Andy Statman Klezmer Orchestra (trad., adapted & arr. AS, G&T) 3:55
- Transsylvanian Softwear (composed & arr. Guy Klucevsek, from trad.) 6:06
- Chiribim (trad., adapted & arr. AS, G&T) 2:52
- Gerer rikkud, nigun Lubavitch, Andy Statman Klezmer Orchestra (trad., adapted & arr. AS) 5:34
- Voliner (composed & arr. Don Byron, from trad.) 4:09
- di mame is gegangen, Andy Statman Orchestra (trad., adapted & arr. AS, G&T) 5:08
- Maximoffs Doina, Orchestra of Excited Strings w/Andy Statman (composed & arr. Arnold Dreyblatt) 5:12
Who are/were Geduldig and Thimann? How did this album come into being? I wish I knew. I found it in Toronto. Wandering through Europe one friend told me that they were "terrible, just terrible singers, but nice." Another mentioned that Albert Thimann is now in London and was producing some sort of klezmer festival.
What I do know is that they don't have operatic voices, although I really enjoy what I hear. And, for whatever reason, they released one of the strangest, most compelling medleys of Jewish, Klezmer, Chassidic, and Experimental music ever, with some of my favorite musicians (klez and otherwise). We're talking about an album that begins with a traditional klez instrumental, courtesy Andy Statman, seques into the kids song, "Oy Chanuka," and moves on to a stunning experimental violin/sampled violin/drum piece by Mark Feldman, followed by a lovely a capella recording by Ruth Rubin.
It's as though the two wanted to put a stamp on the breadth and wonder of all Jewish music. Or maybe it was just, "who's on the Lower East Side that we can have fun with." Whatever. They succeeded more amazingly than I can describe. What I can say is that, despite a piece with a children's Chassidic choir (I have my limits) this is an album in which I always find something new, and which never goes stale. It's been out on the "played recently" shelf so long that it will probably never be put away. As for the duo's voices, well, I like them. They also do a straight-ahead version of "Zhankoye" that rivals the amazing improv of Shirim with Betty Silberman.
This is Jewish folk music of the 1990s sung by Jewish folk with the sense to choose the right songs and the right folks with which to play. When you hear this, and when you hear Itzik Pearlman play brilliant violin somewhat klezishly, you'll have no problem picking out the album the represents "real." This album is wonderful. It mixes Don Byron and Elliot Sharp and Guy Klucevsek with Andy Statman and Chassidic kids and Ruth Rubin and makes it seem the logical way to record an album. What more can I say.
Reviewed by Ari Davidow, 2/19/97
Date: Thu, 20 Feb 1997
From: Joshua Horowitz
Geduldig und Thimann are 2 Austrian guys who began doing Yiddish songs back in the 70īs. They were the first team to put Jewish music on the map after the war, having begun as a folk, club and party band with not only Jewish music. Albert Thimann lives now in London and Edik Bartz (alias Geduldig) organizes the Vienna Jewish Festival Week....
