Statman's urban folk: from jewish mystics and bluegrass to impressionistic jazz and world eclectisism
ANDY STATMAN is a rare occasion of a multiculturalist, innovator and strongly rooted to the folk traditions artist. By a very young age, while he was already an accomplished bluegrass mandolinist, attracted by the free/spiritual jazz of Ayler and Coltrane and begun, as a saxophonist, his first adventures in avant-jazz and ethnic music. As a Jew, on the other hand, he involved with the old jewish music and, developing his clarinet virtuosity under the guidance of great Klezmer teachers (as David Tarras), he finally became one of the masters of the genre.
His approach though, in hebrew traditions hasn't been preserving the music of the past. On the contrary, Statman's art is in a constant search for an expansive form which extracts the timeless from the ancient jewish tunes and blends it with his many other influences.
This highly melodic world trip draws pictures of an urban-folk-bluesy american landscape and leads back to Balkan, Mediterrania, Eastern Europe, places where Chassidic culture bloomed. It has for sure its strong references to a collective memory, it is though the very personal journey of someone who attains to put to question our historical-geografical music certainties, communicating with us on the base of an old/new spiritual language.
His approach though, in hebrew traditions hasn't been preserving the music of the past. On the contrary, Statman's art is in a constant search for an expansive form which extracts the timeless from the ancient jewish tunes and blends it with his many other influences.
This highly melodic world trip draws pictures of an urban-folk-bluesy american landscape and leads back to Balkan, Mediterrania, Eastern Europe, places where Chassidic culture bloomed. It has for sure its strong references to a collective memory, it is though the very personal journey of someone who attains to put to question our historical-geografical music certainties, communicating with us on the base of an old/new spiritual language.
front cover of 1997 Statman's work, eloquently titled "Between Heaven & Earth"A LFDJ introduction to Andy Statman
01 Shalom Aleichem
(Andy Statman & David Grisman "Songs Of Our Fathers", 1995)
02 Bashie's Bounce
("Songs Of Our Fathers", 1995)
03 Slivovitz
(Andy Statman Quartet "The Hidden Light", 1998)
04 Crossing the Bosphorus
("The Hidden Light", 1998)
05 Hispodedus
(Andy Statman "Avodas ha-levi: archival recordings from 90's", 2005)
06 Badekns Niggun
("Avodas ha-levi", 2005)
07 Yonah
(Andy Statman Quartet "Between Heaven & Earth", 1997)
08 L' cha dodi
("Avodas ha-levi", 2005)
09 Waltz
("Avodas ha-levi", 2005)
10 For the sake of my brothers and friends
("Songs Of Our Fathers", 1995)
11 Journey to the center of twang
(Andy Statman & David Grisman "Mandolin Abstractions", 1983)
12 'Till we meet again
("Mandolin Abstractions", 1983)
13 Mah Yedidus
("The Hidden Light", 1998)
14 Chassidic waltz
("Between Heaven & Earth", 1997)
15 Adon olam
("Songs Of Our Fathers", 1995)
16 If not for...
("Between Heaven & Earth", 1997)
compiled by LaFolieDuJour
LISTEN HERE
(16 tracks, 56min)
ANDY STATMAN QUARTET - If Not For...
" A holy melody has the power to bring someone to a state of prophecy" (A Chassidic Mystic)
2 comments:
very interesting. i only knew a few tracks by him on one of geduldig un thimann's records. thanks for your knowledgable compilation - this is highly appreciated.
Salut Folie,
et merci beaucoup pour Stratman. J'ai beaucoup aimé son Klezmer il y a beaucoup d'années et je suis curieux d'écouter ta compilation ...
Il existaient aussi deux belles disques des Klezmorim, il y a avait la la seule version belle de main rueplats que je connais. Tu n'as pas par hasards ces disques (il existe aussi une compilation Early Recordings)?
Je serais tres heureux de les retrouver ...
Merci encore Gustav
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