Album Notes

Carl and Laurie have been playing together for the past six years in the Seattle area. Laurie Andres is known locally and nationally as a master of a variety of musical styles - from French cabaret to contra dance to Greek and of course, Klezmer. Carl has a classical background but started playing Klezmer music about 15 years ago, which is to say, he has no pedigree whatsoever. However, he does play well and is recognized as the most authentic Klezmer clarinetist in his neighborhood

“Kesselgarden” is a term used by Yiddish-speaking Jews to refer to Castle Garden, a facility on the southern tip of Manhattan, where Eastern European Jewish immigrants entered the U.S. between 1855 and 1890. It later came to mean any situation characterized by chaos and confusion. We chose this name to honor the people who brought Klezmer music to this country and because Klezmer itself is a kind of musical Kesselgarden. Itinerant musicians traveled from shtetl to shtetl throughout Eastern Europe and incorporated a rich variety of folk idioms into their repertoires, giving us the precious tradition we know today as Klezmer.

Laurie and Carl play original yet authentic arrangements of this wonderful music, which can evoke laughter and tears all in the same moment. Or is that just what they do at rehearsals? This is a delightful CD, with sweet and joyful interpretations of some well-known and little-known compositions.