Jim Guttmann is having an extraordinary career. His love of music is unbound to a specific genre; from rock in the 60s to jazz and bluegrass in the 70s to klezmer in the 80s to an unabashed mix of genres with the aptly named Mimi Rabson’s Really Eclectic String Quartet (RESQ) in the 90s and now with a new eclectic mix of his own on Bessarabian Breakdown (Kleztone Records, 2010). Guttmann is currently probably best known from his three decades of work with the New England Conservatory’s Klezmer Conservatory Band (KCB). The KCB was pivotal in revitalizing klezmer music which lay dormant since the 40s; now, as popular as ever. Guttmann has also played with legendary singer Eartha Kitt, blues harpist James Cotton, the Artie Shaw Orchestra and the Boston Philharmonic Orchestra.
Guttmann and his ensemble have a level of familiarity and comfort with klezmer—many of the musicians also perform with the KCB—that allows an effortless infusion of elements from other genres into the mix, even within solos and improvisations. And, their technical mastery and breadth of experience accord an aura of confidence which they exploit with a flair for the humor and enjoyment of life within the music. You’ll hear straight klezmer (“Philadelphia Sher”) and other traditional Jewish music, but also Afro-Cuban jazz (“Descarga Gitano”), swing (“And The Angels Sing”), R&B (“Bessarabian Breakdown”) and some rare but rocking electric guitar work. Guttmann is deservedly featured as soloist on numerous occasions, but other instruments also play leading roles. The familiar instruments of klezmer—clarinets, brass, accordion and violin—are naturally present but the ensemble also includes tenor and baritone saxes, electric and acoustic guitars, piano and mandolin. The group ranges in size from solo bass on “Firn di Mekhutonim Aheym” to eleven members (undectet) on the big band Afro-Cuban sound of “Descarga Gitano.” All but one track are traditional folk songs or dances and are arranged by Guttmann and/or other members of the group. “And The Angels Sing” is a jazz standard written by Ziggy Elman and Johnny Mercer.
As might be expected the CD launches with full-on klezmer in “Philadelphia Sher,” followed by an unexpected jazz trio, “And The Angels Sing,” featuring Ellingtonian style crisp, compact piano by Art Bailey, Guttmann’s walking bass and Grant Smith on drums. “Descarga Gitano” surprises once again as large ensemble Afro-Cuban jazz, with another bauble, electric rock style guitar, wrapped inside. “Doyne, Hora, Sirba” is a suite of traditional Jewish dances featuring violin (Mimi Rabson) and accordion (Evan Harlan). The title track, “Bessarabian Breakdown,” is another enigma, beginning with what could be an R&B horn section and funky electric guitar comping, developing into distinctly non R&B ethnic melodies, yet also featuring atypical sounds of baritone sax and electric guitar. “Dark Eyes” is a tempo shifting traditional arrangement that features clarinets (Ted Casher and Billy Novick), piano (Bailey), and jazz style guitar (Brandon Seabrook). Guttmann closes out the CD with the solo bass “Firn di Mekhutonim Aheym.”
Bessarabian Breakdown illustrates how, in the hands of talented aficionados, disparate genres of music can be successfully blended with very interesting and pleasing results proving America to be a unique melting pot of musical tastes and sounds. Guttmann continues to be a driving force in popularizing klezmer and the fusion of traditional Jewish music with jazz and other popular genres in the U.S.
Key Tracks: Descarga Gitano, Bessarabian Breakdown, Dark Eyes
July 3, 2010
