Beyond The Pale — Postcards

As their name indicates, Toronto band Beyond The Pale are much more than your average klezmer band and think outside the geographical boundaries traditionally associated with the genre.

Opener "Magura" has more in common with traditional Greek folk than anything that originated in Ukrainian or Russian shtetls (Jewish towns in pre-Holocaust eastern and central Europe). "Katarina," despite the Russian title, mixes bongos and mandolins, which make it sound almost vaguely like hippie bluegrass.

Only once you hit "Kamenetzer," "Anthem" and "Shteru," the latter of which is one of several numbers which feature guest vocalist Vira Lizinsky singing in Yiddish, do things start sounding like klezmer.

While this record obviously isn't for everyone, klezmer fans will find it interesting because Beyond The Pale demonstrate the adaptability of klezmer music over Postcards' 16 tracks.

There have been at least two major klezmer revivals over the last 50 years, and klezmer has spread all over the world and been adapted to various cultures. Postcards is yet another example of how the genre has changed, adapted and continues to thrive.

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