Album Notes

October 18, 2005 - The Alexandria Kleztet, an inventive klezmer band based in the Washington/Baltimore region, has released its third album, Close Enough for Klezmer,.
On this album, the band continues to define their own brand of "alternative" klezmer music, using original compositions and creative arrangements to expand and renew traditional Jewish musical forms. Over the past seven years, the band has developed a reputation for using diverse influences from jazz, classical, rock, and world music in their unique sound.
It is an approach that has earned the band six Washington Area Music Association (WAMA) Awards including Best World Music Recording for both of their previous albums - Y2Klezmer (2000) and Delusions of Klezmer (2002). The band was named Best World Music Group and leader Seth Kibel was chosen as Best World Music Instrumentalist in 2003 and 2004.
"We are always working to expand the boundaries of klezmer music in a way that honors the rich musical tradition while keeping the sound fresh for a new generation of fans," said bandleader Seth Kibel. "With this album, we hope we continue to prove how dynamic and contemporary klezmer music can be."
On Close Enough for Klezmer, the band shows its range on creative re-imaginings of traditional and well-loved Israeli, Hebrew and Yiddish material such as "Bashana Haba'a," "Ma Navu," and "My Yiddishe Mame." Four compositions by Kibel, a skilled swing and jazz instrumentalist, and one by bassist Scott Harlan, a noted jazz-fusion player, demonstrate strong jazz roots, as do numerous improvised sequences within songs.
Kibel and Harlan are joined by percussionist Tim Jarvis and Helen Hausmann, making her debut as the band's new violinist and mandolinist. Violinist Claire Cardon makes a final appearance, recorded before she moved to the Midwest.

Azalea City Recordings - ACCD-0604