Search - Dave Tarras :: 1929-1949 Master of Klezmer Music 1

Gorgeous

Alyssa A. Lappen | Earth | 08/20/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Naftule Brandwein may have been the "King of Klezmer," but Dave Tarras (1897 to 1989) was his musical equal, minus the bad behavior. A Klezmer clarinetist of legendary talent, Tarras was born in the Ukrainian shtetl of Ternovka, and schooled in classical music by his Jewish family, which had performed for generations. Tarras' father was a wedding poet (badkhn) and trombonist, who began teaching his son to read and write music, and to play the flute, when he only nine. At 13, dissatisfied with the flute's quality, Tarras studied clarinet with a local player for three weeks before he could "play a little," meaning he was expert enough to play at a non-Jewish wedding. Tarras was exposed to but somewhat insulated from the brutal World War I era Ukrainian anti-Semitism; he escaped serving in the Tsar's army by playing in a military band and quickly graduating to conductor. He also conveniently played the guitar and balalaika. By 1921, though, pogroms and the Russian Revolution had overwhelmed the family and Tarras left for New York, where his older sister had emigrated some time earlier. He started in a furrier factory at $10 a week, working up to $50 for a 50-hour week, with overtime. After a year, he finally replaced the clarinet that had been destroyed by fumigation at Ellis Island and took a small job in a Brooklyn catering hall. He was soon playing in a band with Joseph Cherniavsky's Yiddish American Jazz Band. Like all great klezmer, the 15 cuts on this recording easily hook and draw one's heart into an intense and ultimate joy of the moment--and of life. It's hard to believe it's not on the klezmer bestsellers' list. These gems cover a 30-year time span, and are not included on any other Tarras recording. They're gorgeous, every one.--Alyssa A. Lappen"