Klezmer Swing by Dave Tarras

I featured a record by the great klezmer clarinetist Dave Tarras in an earlier post. A later set of Tarras records have been more written about than actually heard: his 1946 Savoy klezmer swing discs.

Another fine clarinetist, Sam Musiker, became Tarras's son-in-law in 1941, when he married Brouny Tarras. Musiker was as adept at playing jazz as klezmer; he had been a member of Gene Krupa's big band. Musiker and Tarras came up with the idea of putting out some records which combined straight klezmer with swing. Musiker did the arrangements, being careful to feature Tarras only during the klezmer sections, since the older clarinetist never developed much of a feel for jazz.

Musiker and Tarras sold Herman Lubinsky, the owner of Savoy Records, on the idea. The ensemble is often described as a "big band," but it seems to consist of a small saxophone section, one or two trumpets, Tarras's clarinet, and rhythm section. Musiker gets some pretty rich textures out of the saxophone section, though - he makes the most of the instruments available.

I have seen these sessions dated as "1946 and 1947," and one source claims that five records resulted from the the two sessions. Michel Ruppli's Savoy label discography makes it clear that there were eight sides recorded, resulting in four records, and that the two sessions were held on April 1 and May 5, 1946. The records were issued in a special international series as Savoy 8001 through 8004. Only three other records, Italian songs by Frankie Melton, were ever issued in Savoy's 8000 series. The first two records have a label credit to "Lou Lockett's Orch.," but Mr. Lockett's contribution to the records is unclear.

The Savoy sides didn't make much of a splash at the time. According to Tarras, they were too traditional for jazz fans and too modern for klezmer fans. Since they records didn't sell well, they are somewhat difficult to find these days; it took me years to track down the complete set. Two of the sides have been reissued on Yazoo's CD collection of Tarras's work, but the rest have remained elusive.

But here at last are the complete Savoy klezmer swing sessions by Dave Tarras, presented as originally issued. The first two records are from the April 1 session; the others are from May 5. Apologies - there are a couple of skips toward the end of "Send David" that I could not eliminate, even after much experimentation with different size styli and tracking weights.

Savoy 8001: Good Luck (Moseltuf)
                     Hebrew Dance

Savoy 8002: Eli Eli
                     Let's All Dance

Savoy 8003: Freilachs
                     Send David

Savoy 8004: Kosatchok
                     Komarinska 

Dave Tarras on UK Columbia

I have dozens of 78s, LPs, and CDs by the great klezmer clarinetist Dave Tarras, but none is more beautiful than this 1927 pairing on English Columbia. Tarras emigrated to the United States from Russia in 1920, and quickly established himself as the foremost clarinetist on the Jewish music scene, rivaled only by Natfule Brandwein. I think of these two clarinetists as the klezmer equivalents of New Orleans jazz clarinetists Jimmie Noone and Johnny Dodds - Noone and Tarras were technically accomplished, controlled players, while Dodds and Brandwein were rougher and more unpredictable.

Here Tarras plays "Rumenishe Doina" and "A Rumenisher Nigun." A doina is an improvised rubato cadenza, usually leading into a dance number or medley. "Nigun" simply means "melody," and "Rumenishe" indicates the Romanian origin of these pieces. Tarras excelled at playing doinas, and he is at his best here.

Not only is the music wonderful, but the record itself is interesting as an object. It was issued on Columbia in the United States, but my copy is an English Columbia issue apparently imported into Israel (or Palestine at that time). One side has a sticker from a Tel-Aviv record store.

Here is the klezmer artistry of Dave Tarras at his best, recorded in April, 1927 in New York.

Rumenishe Doina

A Rumenisher Nigun