Search - Joel (Jewish Music Ensemble) Rubin :: Beregovski's Khasene

A Traditional Klezmer Virtuoso

01/27/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This CD, like Joel Rubin's earlier Bessarabian Symphony, and in fact all of his recordings, proves Rubin to be one of the the finest traditional klezmer clarinetists still playing in the old European style. A classically trained musician, Rubin has been playing in this folk idiom for his entire adult life -- however the refinement of the classical esthetic still subtly makes its presence felt, both in his playing and in his arrangements. Rubin's style is rooted in that of Dave Tarras, but is nevertheless original, and he has an immediately recognizable sound. The feelings he evokes are bittersweet, whimsical, and pastoral, in contrast with the extroverted, "hot" performances of most of his neo-klezmer peers. Anyone interested in the legacy of the Jewish instrumentalists of Eastern Europe should not miss this and Joel's other recordings."