Los Lantzmun / Lantzville

In a well-performed, refreshing change from usual KlezmerShack fare, Los Lantzmun focus on the wider world of Jewish music, focusing not on Eastern Europe, but instead on Sephardic and Mizrahi melody. One gets a sense of the band's non-mainstream approach, from their name, transposing the yiddish term, "lantzmun" (folks from the same land or village) into a Ladino-stylized "Los Lantzmun". In this second outing, opening with Mizrahi vocals on "Ayelet Khen", that welcome tilt eastward is noted and welcomed. In this, the band parallels work by the Austin, TX-based woman's quartet, Divahn, among others.

The band's musicianship continues to improve. Indeed, the only complaint I have on that score is that one of the vocalilsts has a breathy, overly precious style on some spoken vocals (say the "La Rosa/Tzur Mishelo" medley), or on "Mah Yesh Li". It is a style I associated with recordings intended for children, who are, one presumes, part of the market for this CD. On the other hand, of particular note is "Lamidbar," with a lovely flute-driven break to a Middle Eastern tune for "Yah Ribon", and "Ha'aderet v'Ha'emunah" with lovely call response between the vocalist and the band.

I am also pleased to see Andy Statman tunes getting more recognition, as in the Sephardic-sounding "Bashie's Bounce" performed well here. This isn't the klezmer tune on the album. That honor belongs to the "KlezMed" medley. The only Yiddish folksong occurs in the closing medley (of two tunes, both with significant eschatological overtones, popularized, in part, by Toronto's Flying Bulgars). Instead, Los Lantzmun achieve something very rare among current Jewish music performing bands--a sense of balance among the many types and styles of Jewish music around the globe, from Sephardic and Mizrahi piyuttim (religious poems) to folk songs and instrumentals around the world, even unto a reggae-inflected version of "Kol Ha'olam Kulo". The result is quite pleasing, and signals, I hope, a broadening of Jewish musical consciousness in general. Here, at least, the band gets it. Enjoy.

Reviewed by Ari Davidow 6/21/03

Songs

1. Ayelet Khen (trad., arr. Los Lantzmun) 3:43
2. La Rosa/Tzur Mishelo (trad., arr. Los Lantzmun) 5:08
3. Lamidbar (trad., arr. Los Lantzmun) 5:22
4. Bashie's Bounce (Andy Statman, arr. Los Lantzmun) 3:35
5. La Comida La Mañana (trad., arr. Los Lantzmun) 3:19
6. Ha'aderet v'Ha'emunah (trad., arr. Los Lantzmun) 5:52
7. KlezMed (trad., arr. Los Lantzmun) 3:58
8. Kol Ha'olam Kulo (music: Baruch Chait; eng. inspired by R. Jack Gabriel; groove inspired by Bob Marley) 3:39
9. Mah Yesh Li (trad., arr. by Los Lantzmun) 3:44
10. Eli At (trad., arr Los Lantzmun; counterpoint by Lisa Antosofsky & R. Marvin Antosofsky) 5:22
11. Lamir Zikh Iberbetzn/Vus Vet Zayn (trad., arr. Los Lantzmun) 7:00