Moishe’s Bagel at the Stables

Last night we went to The Stables in Milton Keynes – great venue - to hear 'Moishe's Bagel'. With a name like this, I found the prospect irresistible. The blurb describes their music as, 'Rip-roaring, foot-stomping, jazz-inflected klezmer and Balkan music... An intoxicating, life-affirming mix of Eastern European dance music, Middle Eastern rhythms and virtuoso performances.'

It was something else! Each of the 'bagels' (five in all) are superb musicians who play this intensely rhythmic, passionate, hypnotic, highly stylised music with absolutely no holding back. I loved the keening violin! It was humorous – 'Tantz Glassidic' is the piece that Philip Glass might have written for them, if he’d had the chance; and 'Flying by Jewish Radar' is the imagined soundtrack to a not-too-successful Jewish bank robbery. But it was also tender, as in 'Lament'. And 'intoxicating' and 'life-affirming' seem a pretty good way to sum up the experience.

The only small disappointment is that for me the CD 'Salt', doesn’t come near to the live performance. It’s very good, but tame by comparison. They’re still on tour so it’s not too late to hear them.

Comments

So sorry we didn't get to this. It sounded incredible. I was freezing outside the council offices instead.
Sarah

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