This One's For The Klezmaniacs

If I'm going to be honest, I'm going to have to admit that I would have put in a good word for Geoff Berner's latest, Klezmer Mongrels, just to mention the cover art. I KNOW I recognize that artist, but even if I didn't, c'mon. A topless dog in people clothes breast feeding a puppy whilst some kind of Beetlejuice tentacles sway in the background? Um, yes, please, I'll have some.

Fortunately, I'm also a fan of Mr. Berner's unique brand of klezmer music. This is the third in his "Whiskey Rabbi" trilogy. The first two dealt with women and whiskey respectively. This one, according to him, is about "the natural consequences of combining the two."

Teaming up again with Diona Davies (violin) and Wayne Adams (percussion), Berner creates an update of sorts on the otherwise traditional music form, throwing in ample amounts of "Turkish music, sacred Jewish music, tango, jazz, and the music of whatever country the Jews were living in at the time." The bitches brew produced is good stuff, indeed.

mp3: Luck In Exile
mp3: King of the Gangsters