soundtrack from 'Divan'

The first Frank London album I heard was his soundtrack to the movie "the Shvitz". It was one of the most interesting Jewish albums of that year. This year, his soundtrack to "Divan" may win a similar honor. The movie is an autobiographical story about filmmaker Pearl Gluck's attempt to retrieve a divan, on which slept a hassidic master, from Satmar, Hungary. To complement the movie, London has fashioned a soundtrack that fuses traditional Hasidic chant with a catholic selection of new sounds.

I haven't seen the movie, so I can't place music to visualization. Instead, I have to listen to the music on its own terms. The CD opens with Kol Isha, an eponymously-named gathering of women's voices. Gradually, London's "Shekhina" group fills in behind the voices. Hasidic New Wave provides some lovely horn-backed Jewish jazz-rock on "The Deal". All of these pieces reflect the hasidic nign-tinged theme.

Although I can tell differences in the type of music they play, there is no personnel difference between Hasidic New Wave and Shekhina on this recording. On the other hand, the use of Kol Isha's voices, a capella, or with Shekhina, is wonderful, and contrasts perfectly with the Brass Band part of the soundtrack. In fact, the section with the Brass Band and Kol Isha is one of my favorites. But then, the contrast between the ebullient, relatively traditional Brass Band on "Black Hats on Parade" contrasted with the equally ebullient, but less traditional Shekhina version of "Black Hats on Acid" is equally lovely. The end result is a wonderful amalgam of very traditional Jewish music pushing the edges. This is a delight with which to fill the ears. It's a Frank London sampler for 2003 (minus the Klezmatics, of course).

Now, I must see the movie.

Reviewed by Ari Davidow, 5/23/04

Songs

1. Tate lebn--Father dearest, performed by Kol Isha (trad.) 0:36
2. Lomir Makhin a Bayt--let's make a deal, performed by Shekhina, w/Kol Isha (trad./London) 2:19
3. The Deal--a bayt, performed by Hasidic New Wave (trad., arr. Frank London) 9:13
4. Divan, performed by Shekhina, featuring Michal Cohen & Kol Isha (London) 4:42
5. Divan (coda), performed by Shekhina (Frank London) 0:45
6. Mi yimale (intro), performed by Marc Ribot (trad.) 0:25
7. Mi yimale, performed by Frank London's Klezmer Brass Allstars w/Kol Isha & Danny Blume (trad./London) 3:07
8. Couch theme, performed by Noah Hochfield (London) 1:46
9. On the couch, performed by Hasidic New Wave (London) 1:31
10. Eternal love, performed by Shekhina (London) 1:58
11. The alternate couch, performed by Shekhina featuring Noah Hochman (London) 3:16
12. Black hats on parade--Tihe yeshua zoys, performed by Frank London's Klezmer Brass Allstars (trad.) 4:58
13. Black hats on acid, performed by Shekhina (London) 5:37
14. Eternal gratitude, performed by Shekhina featuring Noah Hochman (London) 1:52
15. Lomir makhn a bayt--Let's make a deal, performed by Kol Isha (trad.) 4:40