Retro Chicken

Andy Statman is one of those guys who is good at everything he does. He was already a well known and established bluegrass mandolinist (having played with people like David Grisman and Jerry Garcia) when he became an observant Jew. His interest in Judaism led to mastering the clarinet and initiating the Klezmer music revival. (Klezmer music is the traditional music of the Jewish communities of Eastern Europe.)

Although Andy’s playing is innovative, refreshing, experimental and unique - the palate he works from is traditional and therefore sets him apart from the cool Downtown Jewish music scene.* Andy’s music is sincere, honest and an expression of a deep-rooted spirituality.

The lighting in this video is terrible, but listen to the music - it is truly remarkable. (Does anyone know where this is?)

*The downtown Jewish music scene was started by John Zorn, Michael Dorf from the Knitting Factory and others. They are basically a group of extremely talented Jazz, experimental, punk, out-there-gonzo musicians who all happened to be Jewish. They express their eccentric, eclectic, other-worldly inner essences via a template of “Jewish” music. The results can be anything, ranging from spiritually transformative to ear-splitting (and I mean this as a compliment).

This entry was posted on Saturday, October 6th, 2007 at 10:37 pm and is filed under Andy Statman, Ethnic Chicken.