THE OTHER EUROPEANS

 FULL HOUSE AND FOLK MUSIC AT THE BLACK DIAMOND

By Christoffer Kofler, ed. Trine Dam Kofoed, March 18, 2010-04-19

On March 9 2010 the Klezmer-Roma group The Other Europeans played folk music at the Black Diamond’s Queen Room. The concert was organised by Jewish Culture in Copenhagen und supported among others by the Jewish Community of Copenhagen, Augustinus Foundation and the Municipality of Copenhagen.

The band leader is Alan Bern. The band has existed for some years and comprises a whole row of outstanding instrumentalists. The band’s name refers to the ethnic groups not generally regarded as the EU’s core nationalities, but who are Europeans never the less – e.g. Ukrainians, Moldavians, Bulgarians, Hungarians, Roma and Jews.

Their repertoire is divided in two groups: traditional Eastern-European Jewish Hasidic music and Roma/Gypsy music based on Eastern European melodies.

In the beginning they were sponsored by the EU and started out as two separate orchestras: a Jewish Klezmer group and a Roma group. Today the orchestra functions as a unity and performs as duos, trios, quartets – or suddenly it sounds as a whole orchestra on the stage. In this form they have performed at three big music events: Yiddish Summer in Weimar, Germany, the Jewish Culture Festival in Cracow, Poland and the KlezMore Festival in Vienna, Austria.

From the moment the musicians entered the stage, the stage was changed into a huge musical playground. Thirteen smiling and creative musicians enchanted the audience with their gay tones and virtuosity. The special energy and vitality we know as klezmer music spread on the stage to the audience and the whole room. The orchestra has a very winning way of close and unpretentious contact with the audience.

The performed music consisted mainly of medleys, suites or potpourris where the different kinds of folk melodies connected into an endless string of contrasting musical pieces that varied in pace and tone.

The group’s rich and often stunning instrumental knowledge proved that klezmer has no limitations as to choice of instruments or harmony. Apart from the traditional klezmer instruments as trumpet, saxophone, trombone, accordion and double bass, we have heard Hungarian cimbalom played by cimbalom player Kálmán Balogh. He eminently performed melody lines and supported the orchestra with strong, characteristic percussion beats. Matt Darriau played a rarely utilized American wooden flute with a mouthpiece at the end. Darriau is a very versatile musician and plays many different instruments. We have also learned that a concert piano, played by bandleader, Alan Bern, also can work as an outstanding rhythmic instrument in a klezmer orchestra. A cornet was also included, played elegantly – and with humor – by Adam Stinga, covering the lower tone registers and supporting the lighter tones of the trumpet.
The very low tones were supplied excellently by Mark Rubin from the US and his tuba.

Trumpet player Paul Brody from Germany created a strong melody column, supporting the group with outstanding technique and musicality. The Bulgarian accordionist, Peter Ralchev could, with his unique bellows control and unusually fast right fingers, conjure up fast mood shifts and lead he melody for several minutes.

The sensation of the evening was Mark Rubin, using his double bass as a percussion instrument, creating enchanting rhythms while playing in the funk mode.

The varied programme lasted two and half hours. An enthusiastic audience cheered and the orchestra responded with two new pieces in the same enthusiastic mood. This was undoubtedly one of the concerts where the audience, among them also me, have made giant strides into new music experiences within folk music.

All in all, this orchestra was much more advanced as any klezmer orchestras I have ever heard. Widening the form and sound of klezmer music is a huge enrichment which can widen the entire music genre. The concert confirmed also that the music can attract and enthuse a wide audience, not only representatives of “the other Europeans.”

The music group consists of following musicians:
Alan Bern – bandleader (USA/Germany, piano and accordion), Dan Blacksberg (USA, trombone), Paul Brody (Germany, trumpet), Matt Darriau (USA, flute/Es-clarinet/saxophone), Christian Dawid (Germany, C-clarinet, piccolo flute), Stas Rayko (Germany, violine), Mark Rubin (USA, double bass/tuba), Guy Shalom (Great-Britain, percussion), Kálmán Balogh (Hungary, cimbalom), Marin Bunea (Moldova, violine), Csaba Novák (Hungary, double bass), Peter Ralchev (Bulgaria, accordion) and Adam Stinga (Moldova, trumpet.)