Sirba Octet with Isabelle Georges, vocals
Plenty of groups have explored the Lower East Side streets where Jewish folk melodies evolved into America’s popular music, but few have performed the task with quite as much panache as France’s Sirba Octet. Strings, piano, clarinet and cimbalom combine in a pensive re-creation of the first stirrings of a brave new world. Bei Mir Bist du Scheyn sets the tone, and a Harold Arlen medley strikes a winningly informal note. Isabelle Georges adds relaxed vocals, walking the fine line between art music and street-corner tavern. The miniature arrangement of Rhapsody in Blue supplies the requisite touch of Manhattan vim.

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