Search - Naftule's Dream :: Smash / Clap

You could say that Naftule's Dream play Jewish music that's reformed and then some (most of the Dream also perform as the more orthodox Shirim Klezmer Orchestra). Named in homage to legendary klezmer clarinetist Naftule Brandwein, this Boston-area sextet veers between densely composed and then freely jammed-out klezmer revival music of deep emotional resonance. It's a loopy circus one minute, a funeral procession another, and everything in between the rest of the time. Tunes like "Free Klez" and "Speed Klez" are self-explanatory, while "The Wanderer" and "Yid in Seattle" evoke the group's footloose compositional sensibility. The Dream's amazing ensemble playing lends an avant-Dixieland impression of six soloists simultaneously pouring their melodic hearts into what is essentially Jewish soul music of great wit and passion. --Richard Gehr