Ariane Morin/ Tantshoyz
Ariane Morin / Tantshoyz, 2024
Available from Borscht Beat, on Bandcamp and from Apple and other streaming media services.
This is unpretentious, fun, danceable klezmer music, perfect for dancing. Saxaphonist Morin has been playing Eastern European music, including klezmer, for many years. This year, she took over the Ashkenaz Festival dance stage and, with help from dancemaster Sasha Lurje, had the green rocking. Then she did the same thing the next day at the JCC where the festival concluded.
The songs are all dance, no flash. They don't even have their own names - just the names of the dances: Freylekh, Bulgar, Zhok, Sher, Turkisher, Sirba, Khusidl. Don't be fooled. This is exquisite fun, and her saxophone playing, refreshing and lively. It doesn't hurt that she has an all-star band—there are too few places you have hear Winograd and Blacksberg and Alexander having fun together these days. This is one of them. And, then, suddenly there are sweet lines from Morin's sax and you get why the veterans are having so much fun. From the opening "Freylekh," to the thoughtful, expressive, closing "Khusidl," the circle moving slowly, as we get ready to rest and start the next set, this is the dance party recording of the season.
Reviewed by Ari Davidow, 8 December 2024.
Personnel this recording:
Ariane Morin: Freylekh
Michael Winograd: clarinet
Dan Blacksberg: trombone
Yoni Kaston: accordion & piano
Zoe Guigueno: upright bass
Aaron Alexander: drumset, poyk, percussion
Songs
- Freylekh 4:29
- Bulgar 4:10
- Zhok 3:04
- Sher 4:49
- Turkisher 3:13
- Sirba 3:36
- Khusidl 4:19
All music composed, arr: Ariane Morin
