FASTER LOUDER KLEZMER

The music of Klonk has its origins in the secular Jewish and native folk music of Eastern Europe. We play tunes that have been passed down since the Middle Ages. For millenia dances, rituals, ceremony and celebrations have had their own traditional musical accompaniment. The style of each varies according to each region and ethnic group. The history is meandering and often confusing, and with each peek into the past there are contradictions and differing opinions. The traditional Klezmarin (Jewish musicians) and their tunes were almost wiped out during the Holocaust and it is only thanks to the hard work and dedication of a handful of people that they are still heard today. The Jewish and Romany peoples had much in common and shared and influenced each other’s melodies. Despite the history being difficult to unravel one thing is very clear. The legacy is rich and celebratory and the tunes live on through the musicians and groups that perfom them, each group adding their own unique flavour to the pot. They have a timeless quality and seem fresh even today. Here’s how we, as Klonk, are continuing this tradition in our own unique way.

Let’s begin by having a closer look at the tunes from our latest EP “Klonker’s Delight”

1. Si Veriash

“Si veriash a la rhana” originates from the Sephardic Jewish community who lived in Spain, Portugal, the Middle East and North Africa.

It is a nursery rhyme which translates as

“If you could see the little frog sitting on the oven, frying her fritas and sharing with her sisters! If you could see the little mouse sitting in the corner, shelling walnuts and sharing with her sisters! If you could see the little camel sitting on the dough-board, rolling out filo thinner than hair! I love you so much!”

Like many Jewish and Eastern European folk tunes, the melody is based on the FREYGISH SCALE.

The traditional tune of Si Veriash is played in 9/8 time with 4 beats to a bar, 3 short and one long. You can hear the traditional rhythm in this version by Kon Sira.

More modern renditions have been played with 4 even beats to the bar like this one by Yasmin Levy. This is how we play Si Veriash - in 4/4 time and in Freygish mode starting on A concert (B in Bb).

The other change we have made is to add an Intro and Outro from a monster riff from this Rage Against the Machine song “Revolver”.

This is the result:

2. KOLOMEIKA

This picture is of a Hutsul family, an ethnic group from Ukraine and Romania. They have many genres of music; one is Kolomeika, a jolly, light-hearted circle dance in 2/4 time. Some prefer the term Rusyn to Hutsul.

This is Cypress Hill, a West Coast hip-hop band from California.

These are the Balkan Hotsteppers, Belgian DJ’s Sam Rabam and Typsy Gypsy, who decided to mash up a Hutsul Circle dance with Cypress Hill tune “Insane in the brain”. Listen below:

 3. GEAMPARALE

Down the Romanian rabbit hole…

There are so many Romanian folk tunes and dances.

One genre of Romanian traditional dance is circle dancing, and a sub genre of these dances use asymetrical rhythms. One of these dances is the 7/16 circle dance known as the Geampara, and one of the dances in this group is the Geamparalele.

The Klonk tune GEAMPARALE originates from this sub genre of Romanian folk dance from the Dobrogean region. A quick internet search will bring up many different Geamparale melodies. They all have the same 3 beat feel, 2 quick beats and one longer beat. The title of the tune here relates to the type of dance and this sub genre and is not the name of the tune. Easy to follow, right? If you would like to learn more I recommend The Eliznik Pages

Basically it’s a kick ass gypsy tune in the Freygish mode (see and hear this mode above). We often play this straight into another 7/16 tune called Pandelasul Fetalor - a love song.

Here’s Klonk with our version. If you have ever had trouble dancing to this at one of our gigs it might be because you’re not dancing in a circle.

4. ARABER TANZ

Here we have a traditional Klezmer tune called Araber Tanz. It is a type of Turkisher tune, which means it is based on a particular rhythm:

This rhythm is featured famously in the classic spanish gypsy dance Habenara, from Bizet’s opera “CARMEN”. (Listen here)

The Araber Tanz melody is based on the Freygish scale (see above) and is a classic from the Klezmer tradition.

The Klezmorin (musicians playing Klezmer) had many similarities with the Romany people. Both groups were ‘outsiders’ from the dominant culture and they displayed amazing musicianship.

I can highly recommend Robin Seletsky as an online tutor of traditional Klezmer. She is a fabulous clarinettist, and you can learn from her no matter which instrument you play.

I recommend her YouTube channel as a great resource to play along to.

And here is Araber Tanz for Bb instruments if you want to play along:

The Klonk version begins with a short, improvised introduction. Often referred to as DOINA in Klezmer, this has its roots in other traditions, specifically the TAKSIM. Wikipedia has this to say: “This type of Taqsim (Sorani Kurdish: تەقسیم‎, Arabic: تَقْسِيم‎ / ALA-LC: taqsīm; Greek: ταξίμι, romanized: taksimi, Turkish: taksim) is a melodic musical improvisation that usually precedes the performance of a traditional Arabic, Kurdish, Greek, Middle Eastern, or Turkish musical composition.”

It was integrated into Klezmer and became the DOINA. Again from Wikipedia: “The doina is a free-rhythm, highly ornamented (usually melismatic), improvisational tune.[8] The improvisation is done on a more or less fixed pattern (usually a descending one), by stretching the notes in a rubato-like manner, according to the performer's mood and imagination. Usually the prolonged notes are the fourth or fifth above the floor note.”

I mention this as a segue to introducing one of my favourite trombone players in this tradtion, Sasha Charkin. He plays with Pushkin Klezmer Band, a Jewish wedding party orchestra from Ukraine. This is Trombone Taksim. I absolutely LOVE IT!

And here is the Klonk version of Araber Tanz. Listen out for the DOINA at the beginning, the turkisher rhythm, the traditional melody and fabulous solos by Atholl (sax) and Ed (weird fiddle). Enjoy!

5. TERKISHER

As mentioned above a Turkisher or Terkisher is a style of tune and a dance rather than a particular melody. It is a hassidic dance based on the terkisher rhythm (see above) and is simiar to a tango or syrtos. The traditional dance requires hand-clapping and foot- stomping at particular times.

Klonk have a taken one terkisher melody and played around with it. Swung it out of it’s mind, so that it is no longer based on the terkisher rhythm and probably shouldn’t even be called Terkisher any more! It’s fine, nobody minds.

I found this version of the melody on You Tube so you can hear it played straight and over a Terkisher rhythm.

And here we are messing about with it at Shepley Spring Festival. I’d forgotten we used to call it Jim’s Terkisher. I have no idea who Jim is, or why we no longer mention him.

Here is the album version:

AND NOW TO OUR FIRST EP..

KLONK! THE SOUND OF THINGS FALLING INTO PLACE

1. MISERLOU

What a way to start an album! We often start gigs with this tune too. It’s great for the audience to hear a tune they recognise and surely everyone knows this tradtional Greek folk tune.

Miserlou translates as “arab land” and the melody basically runs up and down the HIJAZ scale, also known as the Phrygian dominant scale:

Here is a Taksim based on Hijaz:

Here is the Dick Dale and the Deltones version of Miserlou:

And here is the Klonk album version:

2. BATE VANTUL FRUNZELE

Romanian, meaning “The wind blows the leaves”. This is a love song to a gypsy woman, performed by Fulgerica and the Mahala Gipsies. Constantin Fulgerica is an accordion player who plays gypsy music from his native Bucharest with his band the Mahala (meaning neighbourhood/barrio/local) Gipsies.
The lyrics to this song traslate as “The wind blows the leaves, so I love the gypsy woman”.

Not to be confused with the Romanian Nursery Rhyme called “Bate vantul frunzele” (The wind blows the leaves).

It’s a bit like writing a love song and calling it “Twinkle, Twinkle, little star”. Very confusing on a Google search.
Here is our version:

and here is the original from Fulgerica and the Mahala Gipsies:

3. OT AZOI

A tradtitional Klezmer tune and dance performed at weddings. You can dance the Khosidl to this one. A Khosidl is a type of Hassic circle or line dance with a heavy emphasis on the beat. Generally in 2/4 time.

The best thing about this tune is the Yiddish call and response with the crowd in the chorus. Shouts of OT OZOI “ That’s the way!” and GIT OZOI “I like it that way!” will ring out. Here are the Klonk crowd with a demonstration.

OT AZOI also uses the Freygish Scale, but with a sharpened 7th below the scale.

Here is the EP version. Feel free to join in at the chorus!

And here is the Klonk version. Enjoy!

Check out Klonk on Facebook for live dates as well as this website. We look forward to seeing you on the dancefloor.