26000 American Dr.
Southfield, MI 48034
248-357-1100

Mixed Media

WNW

Jewish Sounds

GEORGE ROBINSON

Special to the Jewish News

The Comedian Harmonists (Hannibal)
Thanks to the recent Broadway show
and film about them, many more people
know about this German-Jewish tight-
harmony group and their plight during

A movie at the StarTheater, then a night at
the Hilton...what a great double feature.

by Raphael Crystal (music) and Richard
Engquist (lyrics). There are a lot of
echoes of Bock and Harnick (think "She
Loves Me" or the comedy numbers from
The Rothschilds, not, thank goodness,
Fiddler), and a wonderfully energetic
and melodious cast, none of whose
names is familiar but all of whom bear
watching.
At times the lyrics are a bit too elabo-
rate for their own good, and the record-
ing features an undermanned quartet of
instrumentalists; this music deserves a
Broadway orchestra.

x:x x:gz:x*

Our Movie Mania Getaway Package is just the ticket for a
fun night out. It includes a spacious, newly-renovated guest room,

two tickets to a movie of your choice at the spectacular new StarTheater

and Continental breakfast for two or credit toward a full breakfast. For

reservations visit www.hilton.com . Or call your professional travel agent,

1-800-HILTONS, or the hotel direct at 248-357-1100. Ask for

Plan Code P3.

Offer valid through 12/30/99. Limited availability; advance reservations required. Rate exclusive of tax and gratuity
and does not apply to groups or other offers and is subject to change without notice. ©1999 Hilton Hotels.

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84 Detroit Jewish News

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the rise of the Nazis. As a result, many
of their recordings — huge hits in
Weimar Germany and the early days of
the Reich — are becoming available in
the U.S. This selection is fairly repre-
sentative and brings all their strengths
and weakness to the fore.
This kind of tight-harmony, almost a
cappella singing anticipates a lot of
American pop groups like the Four
Freshmen and the Hi-Los.
On up-tempo numbers and jazzy
material like Ellington's "Creole Love
Call" (yes, that is what I said), they are
great fun, albeit a bit dated. On more
sedate numbers like Irgendwo auf der
Welt ("Somewhere in the World"), they
are just dated.
If you like this sort of thing, they do
it superlatively well. But if it weren't for
their tragic history, this record would be
about as compelling as a set by, say, the
Ipana Troubadours.
Music: *x:xx:x
Historical Value: x:x****

Kuni-Leml (Slider Stage)
A very pleasant surprise, a musical
version of the old Goldfaden chestnut
about the struggle between arranged
marriages and true love, the Chasidim
and the Maskilim.
This is the original cast of the Jewish
Repertory Theater's revised version of a
1984 production with a fetching score

George Robinson is a New York-based
writer on Jewish arts and culture.

Wolf Krakowski: Unbounded (Kamla)
Krakowski's last album,
Transmigrations, was like Yiddish Neil
Young, searing guitar work and
Canadian-country-rock. His latest is all
English, original compositions and
reminds me of another Canadian Jewish
singer-songwriter, Leonard Cohen, with
the Jewish content much more oblique
than on the earlier album.
Like recent Cohen, he wears the
mantle of prophet lightly and wryly and
rocks hard. His voice is a reedy tenor to
Cohen's cigarette-scarred baritone, and
may not be to all tastes. Sardonic and
witty fun, if a little repetitive.

x:xx:x*x:x

Flying Bulgar Klezmer Band: Fire
(Traditional Crossroads)
I make no bones about it, FBKB is
one of my favorite New Klez bands, a
group that combines straight-ahead
klezmer with Middle-Eastern, Latin and
jazz influences adroitly
This set, the group's first on a new
label, is a rollicking live concert with
several guests, most tellingly Adrienne
Cooper. Cooper is rapidly becoming
one of the great world music divas —
she's not on a level with Umm
Kalthoum or Amalia Rodrigues yet, but